From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 178- It was wonderful.

While reminding his mother, Bert also subtly revealed Catherine’s personality, quietly improving her image in his mother’s mind.

His mother responded faintly on the other end,

"I know."

Their call ended just like that—simple and brief. Their conversations were always this way: say what needed to be said, then hang up. Unlike other mothers and sons who would chat for a while, between them, speaking too much often only led to mistakes. So it was better not to say more.

After hanging up, Bert’s mother looked at the phone and smiled helplessly. Though his tone had been calm and casual, she could still sense his nervousness. Was he really that afraid she would make things difficult for that girl?

Didn’t he realize? Since she had already chosen to accept her, there would be no more obstacles.

Having finally received his mother’s approval, a heavy weight lifted from Bert’s heart. He put away his phone, returned to the bedroom, turned off both his and Catherine’s phones, and climbed into bed, holding the sleeping girl in his arms. He slept soundly through the night.

Since it was the weekend, it was naturally meant for rest. Turning off the phones meant no outside disturbances—true relaxation. Bert had always lived this way: work when it was time to work, and fully enjoy himself when it was time to rest. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

With the phones off and no alarm, Catherine slept in until late morning the next day. When she woke up, only Bert was in the villa. As she came downstairs, she saw him on the phone. She vaguely heard him mention something about "fresh flowers" and wondered what he was arranging now.

Seeing her, Bert hung up. Catherine asked,

"Where’s my mom?"

Bert glanced outside.

"The weather is great today. She said she wanted to go out and get familiar with the surroundings—just some light exercise."

"What are we doing today?"

"What do people do on weekends? Rest."

He said it casually, then looked outside again. The weather was bright and warm—rare for winter, with no cold wind at all. No wonder Renata had gone for a walk.

Then he suggested,

"There’s a golf course nearby. How about we go play?"

Catherine frowned slightly.

"But I don’t know how at all..."

Golf was something for the wealthy—she had never touched it before.

Bert chuckled softly.

"I’ll teach you."

She would be his other half in the future. After they were officially married, he would start bringing her to many social occasions that required a partner, and some of the pastimes at those events were things she would eventually have to learn.

Yes—Bert had also decided that from now on, he would bring her with him as much as possible to such occasions. That way, it would keep many ill-intentioned women from trying to get close to him.

So after Catherine had a simple breakfast, the two of them went to the nearby golf course. Bert was very patient in teaching, and Catherine was earnest in learning. But not long after, Bert let her go get some water and casually tossed out a remark,

"This won’t work like this."

Catherine felt a little embarrassed.

"Am I too clumsy?"

Bert gave her a quiet, meaningful look and said nothing.

What she didn’t realize was that, in order to adjust her posture, he had to stand behind her, wrap his arms around her body, press close, and hold her hands to guide her. After a while, that position inevitably began to feel... different.

So what was supposed to be a golf lesson for Catherine ended up with the two of them leaving after only a short time. At first, Catherine thought it was because she was too clumsy and he had lost patience with her. Later, in a secluded place, Bert pulled her into his arms and pressed her firmly against him, then leaned close to her ear and murmured,

"Do you know now why I can’t keep teaching you from behind?"

Catherine’s face instantly turned red. She pushed him away and ran off.

With him acting like such a lecher, how could he still claim he was teaching her to play golf? At this rate, she would probably never learn in her lifetime.

Later, Bert said he would find her a professional coach—of course, a female one.

Catherine, feeling mischievous, deliberately frowned in protest.

"I don’t want to learn from a coach. I only want you to teach me."

There was a hint of coquettishness in her voice when she said this, soft and sweet. It left Bert unbearably parched.

"Are you deliberately trying to torture me?" he said. "If you ruin me, you’ll lose your happiness for the rest of your life."

He shot her a heated, warning look. Catherine couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing first.

Bert pulled her into his arms and gave her lips a hard, lingering kiss.

"Just wait—tonight I’ll punish you."

The weekend passed like this. On Sunday afternoon, Bert and Catherine returned to the city, while Renata stayed behind at the villa alone. Catherine felt reluctant to leave. Renata comforted her,

"Luckily, after you get married you’ll still be in Burg Eltz. What would you do if you were marrying far away?"

Renata understood Catherine’s feelings of reluctance. In truth, she felt the same way, but she believed young people should be given enough space to be together and build their own lives.

As long as she could still take care of herself, she would try not to burden them.

Catherine said sadly,

"I’ll call you every day. Remember to keep your phone with you at all times—if anything happens, contact me right away—"

Renata gently pushed her toward the door.

"All right, all right. You’re just a young girl—how can you be even more long-winded than an old woman like me?"

So Catherine was practically "kicked out" of the house along with Bert. She shot him a helpless look, while Bert only shrugged and laughed.

"Your mom is actually pretty adorable."

Catherine rolled her eyes at him and turned to walk toward the car. The two of them drove off together.

On the way back, the sun was setting, the sky ablaze with evening clouds. Sitting in the car, Catherine felt peaceful and at ease. Beside her, Bert reached over with one hand, took hers, and gently rubbed it.

Catherine had never imagined that one day she would live such a happy, warm life. It was something that had once existed only in her dreams, and now it had all become real.

It was wonderful.

After returning, they had dinner out, and then Bert suggested going to see a movie. It felt like their first real date since being together—like an ordinary couple. At that moment, Catherine suddenly understood why Renata had insisted on living separately. She had wanted them to be able to enjoy their private world so freely and easily.

Thinking of this, Catherine felt grateful for Renata’s consideration. Her mother had always been such a thoughtful woman who put others first, and Catherine had inherited these beautiful qualities from her. In the future, she would pass them on to her own children.

They say parents are a child’s best teachers, and it truly is so.

Catherine felt fortunate that, even though she and Bert had not grown up in complete families, they had become adults who knew gratitude and contentment. She also hoped that every child from a single-parent family would learn to cherish and love themselves, to discipline themselves, and that one day, when they had grown, those hardships would become a precious treasure in their lives.

After getting home, Catherine packed up Renata’s clothes and daily necessities neatly into a suitcase. Bert said he would have his driver deliver them to Renata the next day.