Leopold gently pinched her cheek, "It's the holiday season. Let's not dwell on the gloomy stuff, okay? We can talk it over once the festivities die down."
Aurelia let out a soft sigh, "I just can't stand to see Lisbeth so down. It was me who was always there for her, cheering her on and bolstering her confidence in herself and Raines. And now, Raines is treating her like she's a total stranger, giving her the cold shoulder. It must be killing her."
Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Leopold comforted, "Look, they've got to sort their own stuff out. There's only so much we can do."
"But that's not entirely true," Aurelia countered, "There's an old saying, 'Love is blind.' When someone's thoughts and feelings are caught in a whirlwind, they can't see their own heart clearly, let alone make the right choices. That's when they need someone from the outside to give them a little nudge, help them see what they really want."
Leopold raised an eyebrow, "And what's your plan of action?"
Shaking her head, Aurelia replied, "I'm not sure. I'm debating whether or not to tell Lisbeth that Raines might be faking his amnesia."
"Do you think that's going to solve anything?" Leopold asked, "If Raines is pretending to have amnesia, it means he's trying to dodge the issue, not ready to face Lisbeth. If you confront him now, it'll just make things more awkward between them."
"You don't think he wants a divorce, do you?" Aurelia fretted.
"If he had made up his mind about divorce and couldn't forgive Lisbeth, he wouldn't be playing the amnesia card," Leopold said.
"He must be so torn," Aurelia sighed, "He still has feelings for Lisbeth, but he can't forgive her deception and betrayal. That's why he's running away, pretending to have lost his memory."
Leopold patted her shoulder, "Give him time to figure things out on his own."
"Alright," Aurelia nodded, though not entirely convinced.
In the next room, Lisbeth brought Raines a bowl of fruit.
"Raines, have some fruit. These cherries just got flown in from Chile, super fresh," she offered.
"Okay," Raines grunted, his eyes glued to his phone, not even glancing up at her.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The CEO’S Unplanned Heir novel (Aurelia and Leopold)