From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 59- two boring people

During dinner, they hadn’t spoken much, and now, walking in silence, Bert worried that his somewhat reserved nature might bore her. So he decided to speak up.

In truth, thinking carefully, his personality wasn’t that dull. It was just that at this somewhat immature stage of their relationship, it wasn’t the right time to say too much or do anything extravagant.

When Catherine heard his question, she immediately shook her head.

"No, not at all. I don’t find you boring..."

If anything, she felt her own personality was dull.

Catherine had always been quiet and gentle. Words like lively or playful never really applied to her. Had she been more outgoing, their walks might not have been so silent.

As for Bert, Catherine felt his personality suited his age. You couldn’t expect a thirty-six-year-old man to behave like a twenty-six-year-old, full of reckless energy and impulsive chatter—that would be far worse.

Catherine thought his demeanor was perfect, and calling him boring didn’t feel accurate; mature and composed suited him far better.

Hearing her answer, Bert turned to look at her, a faint glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"No wonder you became friends with someone like Riley."

He tossed the remark casually and continued walking ahead. Catherine bit her lip, standing still for a moment, staring at his upright back. What did that mean? Was he subtly implying she was boring too?

Well, two boring people...

Catherine didn’t really care what he thought. Boring or not, it didn’t matter—she had never intended anything beyond this, so his opinion was inconsequential.

As they looped around the community and returned to the building, Catherine kept her head down, unaware that a young boy on a skateboard was speeding toward them. Bert’s hand shot out, pulling her into his chest just in time. The boy and his skateboard zipped past them.

Had Bert not grabbed her, Catherine might have been knocked over.

"What were you thinking, staring at the ground?"

Bert’s deep voice rang above her, tense and serious.

Catherine was startled and pressed herself into his chest, calming her racing heart.

When she finally lifted her head, she met his gaze. Under the streetlamp, his eyes were dark and piercing, making her heart skip a beat. She whispered softly,

"Thank you..."

She tried to pull away, but his large hand cupped her flushed cheek, gently brushing back a few stray strands of hair. Concerned words left his handsome lips:

"Watch where you’re going next time."

Catherine’s face flushed even deeper. She pushed him away and turned quickly, only to freeze again. Not far away, under another streetlamp, Gerald stood, his face full of shock and pain. Clearly, he had seen everything between her and Bert.

After the initial shock, Catherine composed herself, averting her eyes as if she hadn’t seen Gerald at all. To her, Gerald was long irrelevant.

Bert, meanwhile, remained calm, acting as if he hadn’t seen Gerald either. Yet his tall, commanding presence by Catherine’s side silently declared his claim.

In truth, Bert had seen Gerald earlier. His tender, subtly intimate gesture—brushing Catherine’s hair aside—was partly impulsive, partly intended to make Gerald notice.

Bert had little respect for Gerald. When Catherine had needed care, Gerald had abandoned her without a second thought. Now he returned, meddling again. It wasn’t manly—it was despicable.

As Lucca’s fiancé, Gerald’s interference only made things more awkward.

Bert despised Gerald—not merely because he was part of Catherine’s past, but because his actions were contemptible. That was why he had instructed Dave to block all collaborations with the Channing and S families—a condition he had insisted upon when returning Washington Co. to Dave.

Originally, Bert had planned to walk a few more laps with Catherine, but with Gerald there, he changed his mind.

Turning to Catherine with a gentle voice, he said,

"It’s getting cold. I’ll head back first. You should go upstairs too."

Catherine had expected he might continue the walk, so she was a little surprised when he said he was leaving—but she went along with it.

"Oh, then be careful on the way."

They spoke like that, face to face, in a way that almost felt like a reluctant farewell between lovers.

Bert said nothing further. He cast a quiet glance in Gerald’s direction, then walked to his car, got in, and drove away.

Rather than staying there with Catherine and confronting Gerald, whether to protect her or to assert dominance over Gerald, leaving so effortlessly carried far more impact. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

His casual departure was a testament to his confidence, a demonstration of trust in Catherine, and a silent contempt for Gerald.

He was confident he was superior to Gerald, that he could attract her more effectively, and certain that she wasn’t the type to be entangled with her sister’s fiancé. Gerald, in his eyes, was completely inconsequential. Without a word, Bert had made it clear: Gerald posed no threat to him whatsoever.

Bert was confident that Catherine wasn’t the type to get tangled up in unnecessary drama. Whether or not she had truly let go of Gerald, he believed that at least on the surface, she wouldn’t get involved with him. When Gerald had shown up at the hospital during Renata’s surgery, her attitude had already been cold and distant.

Still... had she really moved on from Gerald?

The thought stirred a flicker of irritation in Bert as he drove away.

Bert knew all about Catherine and Gerald’s past. After that incident years ago, he had quickly looked into her life, uncovering everything—Channing’s and Renata’s affairs, the divorce, Channing’s attitude toward her, and, of course, her relationship with Gerald.

They had grown up as childhood friends, though Gerald had gone abroad for years of study. Even then, according to Bert’s research, they had kept in touch. Gerald had even been there for her during the painful early years after her parents’ divorce.

Honestly, back then, Bert had assumed Gerald would stay by her side through that difficult period. In hindsight, he realized he had overestimated Gerald’s feelings for her.

Yet Catherine’s true feelings for Gerald remained a mystery.

On the surface, she seemed to have moved on. But Gerald had been a part of her life during those gray years, and such a bond wasn’t easy to sever completely. Still, it had been two years—surely by now, she should have let him go.

If not, she’d be foolish.

Bert drove along, his brow furrowing slightly, only to relax moments later.

No matter whether she had truly let go of Gerald, he had made up his mind. If he was going to pursue her, he wouldn’t allow her to linger on another man.

Downstairs, after watching Bert’s car disappear into the distance, Catherine turned and walked back into the building, completely ignoring Gerald, who remained standing there.

To her, Gerald was now just another stranger—neither love nor hatred.

During those lonely, scandal-ridden years in Australia, she had exhausted all her love and anger toward him. The tears she had shed for Gerald were long spent.

"Cici!"

Yet Gerald finally intercepted her, catching up just as she reached the entrance to the building, pushing all emotions aside as he stepped in front of her.

Catherine stopped, her expression calm, and looked at him.

"Do you need something?"

Gerald’s brow was tightly furrowed, fatigue and weariness etched into his features.

"Are... you really together with Bert?"