Chapter 36:
Something to Call Her Own

The café was quiet around them, only the soft hum of conversation and the gentle clinking of cups breaking the stillness. Steam curled upward from Olivia's teacup, wrapping around her fingers as she held it warmly.

"So," she asked, lifting her gaze to meet his. "What do you actually do for a living, Andrei? You still haven't told me."

Andrei chuckled softly, wiping a speck of foam from his lip. "I'm an actor."

Olivia blinked, setting her cup down gently on its saucer with a small clink. "Really? An actor?"

"Really, truly," he said with a mock bow of his head, rolling his eyes playfully. "Don't look so surprised. I can be very dramatic when the occasion calls for it."

"Where are you from, then?"

"Asia," he answered simply, taking another sip of his hot chocolate.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "That's a continent, not a place. Be specific."

He laughed, realizing he couldn't avoid it. "South Korea. Seoul, to be exact."

Her eyes widened, a genuine spark of interest brightening her face. "Korea? I was there just last year - for Seoul Fashion Week. We showcased our new spring collection. It was absolutely stunning there."

Andrei paused, his cup halfway to his mouth. "Seoul Fashion Week? That sounds incredible. So you're in fashion?"

"I'm the Executive Designer for Fendi," she said casually, as if it were just a regular job. "I oversee most of the collections and special projects here and abroad."

Andrei nearly choked on his coffee, coughing as he thumped his chest, his face showing genuine surprise. "Fendi? The Fendi? Olivia, that's... that's amazing. That's one of the most prestigious houses in the world."

He shifted slightly in his seat, his gaze drifting toward the window for a moment. "My ex-girlfriend... she was one of their runway models. Spent almost three years traveling between Milan, Paris, and Seoul for them."

The air between them shifted, growing suddenly quieter. An awkward silence stretched across the table. Olivia cleared her throat softly, turning the conversation away from past relationships.

"Well," she said gently. "It's a small world, I suppose. But if you're an actor, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be filming or preparing for something instead of sitting in a café giving strangers life advice?"

Andrei traced the handle of his mug with a slow finger, his expression dimming into something quieter, more shadowed. "I'm taking a break right now. Stepping back from everything for a while."

"Is everything okay?"

He looked up quickly, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Can we not talk about work? Or Seoul? Or any of that right now? I'd rather hear about you."

"Fair enough," she nodded softly.

But the respite didn't last long.

"So," he began again, his tone shifting - lighter but more deliberate. "What now? You're an incredibly talented woman with your own career, your own life. But you said earlier... that he walked out. So what does your future look like now without him in it?"

Olivia felt a familiar tightness in her chest. She looked away, staring out the window at people walking past - everyone seemed to know exactly where they were going. Everyone except her.

"I don't know, okay?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended. "I don't have a plan. Every future I imagined - every home, every milestone, every quiet moment I looked forward to - it all included him. Now that he's gone... it feels like I have nothing at all to build on."

Andrei shook his head slowly, that familiar gentle but firm expression settling onto his face - the same look her father used to give her whenever she spoke of giving up everything for someone else.

"Olivia," he said softly but firmly. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. You cannot - you must not - build your entire existence around one person. Because if they leave, or if things change... you're left standing in the ruins of a life that was never truly yours to begin with. You need to keep living your life whether he's part of it or not. Your plans should start with you, not whoever is standing beside you."

Something inside her snapped. Who was he to tell her how to live? He was a stranger who had stumbled into her life two weeks ago!

"This is my life," she said, her voice trembling slightly as she pushed back her chair and stood up. "I'll do what I want. I'll make my own choices. I'll live it exactly the way I choose."

She turned on her heel, ready to walk out - ready to leave this annoying, know‑it‑all man behind. But before she could take even one step toward the door, his hand reached out and wrapped gently but firmly around her wrist.

"Let go of me!" she snapped, trying to pull away. "Andrei, let me go!"

"I know that feeling," he said, his voice dropping lower - intense, raw, and achingly sincere. "I know exactly what it's like to pour every piece of yourself into someone else's dreams. To give away your hobbies, your goals, your passions - just to make their life easier, brighter, fuller. And then one day... they're gone. And you look in the mirror and realize you don't even recognize the person staring back at you. Because you gave so much of yourself away that there was nothing left for you."

He released her wrist suddenly, as if he had realized he was holding on too tightly. His expression softened, regret flickering in his eyes.

"Don't let that happen to you, Olivia. Keep something for yourself. Something that belongs only to you - before it's too late."

Without another word, he turned and walked out the door. Olivia stood there alone in the middle of the café, her wrist still tingling faintly where he had held it, his words echoing in the quiet space around her.

Keep something for yourself.

She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling colder than before. And for the first time since meeting him, she wondered exactly what kind of heartbreak he was carrying that he understood hers so perfectly well.