Johann And Andrea's Talk

When Johann arrived, Andrea immediately introduced him to Adeline and Ronan.

"Adeline, this is Johann, my brother-in-law. He is a specialist in internal medicine and is attending a conference here." Andrea then turned to Johann, "This is Adeline, the mother of my son, Ronan. And this is Ronan, my son."

They all shook hands. The atmosphere during dinner between the three adults and a child was warm and fluid. Nobody talked about past mistakes or hurt feelings.

Adelina worked in a lifestyle magazine as a fashion editor and she looked very fashionable in her choice of attire. Besides having a natural beauty that really stood out, she also looked very elegant. The woman's fashion sense could also be seen in Ronan, who was always wearing the best-branded clothes in England.

From Adeline's explanation, Johann immediately learned that the girl stayed single after she gave birth to Ronan because she was focused on her career and her child. She didn't want to give other men a chance to approach her.

Inwardly, Johann praised Adeline as a woman who was smart and kind-hearted. He couldn't imagine, if Adeline had told Andrea about her pregnancy before she was sent to London, perhaps the two of them would have taken the bold step run away and elope, and together went against all odds.

If that had happened, of course, Andrea, Adeline, and Ronan would now be living happily as one family. Andrea would have never met Ludwina and married her.

As he sipped his wine, Johann watched Andrea and Adelina's interaction and tried to look for signs that the two of them still loved each other. He wanted to know whether their reunion as adults in London would rekindle their old flames.

"You still don't like sour food, do you?" asked Adeline with a smile. "Don't order that dish, because it has additional balsamic sauce."

"You still remember?" asked Andrea. He muttered a 'thank you' and turned the pages of his menu to find another dish. He was surprised to know Adelina still remembered small details about him.

Adelina nodded, "I never forget what you like and what you don't like. Ronan takes after you when it comes to food."

Ronan nodded while blinking his adorable round eyes, "I don't like sour food. Mom said I got it from you."

Andrea smiled as he rubbed his son's hair affectionately. Her heart was touched every time he heard Ronan's adorable voice. This child was truly his flesh and blood. Not only were they very similar physically, but Ronan also inherited some of Andrea's traits.

Adeline looked very happy, watching the warm interaction between father and son, while Johann could only frown. For a moment, he felt pained for Ludwina.

If his sister saw this sight of a happy family in front of her, she would have cried so grievously...

"Where have you been to in London?" asked Adelina to Johann. The doctor shrugged and shook his head. Adeline furrowed her brows. "Have you gone anywhere?"

"I've been to London numerous times before I became as busy as I am now. In the past, I had time to sightsee, but now, I'm focusing on attending the conference." Johann asked Andrea instead, "Where have you been to, Andrea? Don't tell me you're only here to work. "

Andrea was about to reply that he was only here to work, but in the end, he just smiled and shook his head.

"No way!" Adelina looked surprised, "You should at least go to the famous areas of London. Westminster Bridge, River Thames, London Eye, and the House of Parliament. You can also go to the West End to watch a musical..."

Johann nodded, "They're all good places. If you want to, we can take a walk after dinner."

Andrea shook his head. "I'm tired. Not now. How long will you be staying in London?"

"I will be here until Sunday," Johann replied. "We can just meet on the weekends. How about that?"

"Sounds good."

After dinner, Andrea and Adelina took their leave from the Hilton to go home.

"Dad..." called Ronan suddenly while Andrea was getting a taxi for them. "Can I come to your place?"

Andrea and Adeline looked at each other. Andrea then rubbed his son's head and nodded.

"Of course, you can. But your mom needs you to take her home tonight. I'll come and get you sometimes. Not tonight, okay? You have to go to school tomorrow."

"Will you promise to get me sometime?" Asked Ronan again.

"I promise."

"Pinky promise?" Ronan held up his pinky, which Andrea responded to by hooking his pinky back.

"Pinky promise. Now, there is your taxi... Be safe."

He opened the taxi door and helped Adeline and Ronan in. As the taxi was ready to go, he waved at them. Ronan and Adelina rolled down the window and waved back until the taxi disappeared from sight.

Andrea was stunned for a long time. His heart felt sad and lonely. Even though London was a very densely populated city and all around him were full of people, he felt very alone. When he met Johann earlier, he came to think of Ludwina, his wife, even more.

He took out his cell phone and called Johann.

"Can we meet?" Andrea asked him.

Five minutes later, Johann left his hotel and came over to see Andrea.

"Where are we going?" Johann asked, tightening his scarf around his neck. The night air in London was quite chilly.

"We can get a drink and chat in a pub nearby," Andrea offered. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good," Johann replied.

The two of them then walked to find a pub and went in for a drink. Andrea just ordered a glass of wine while Johann ordered a martini.

"Do you know where Ludwina is now?" Andrea asked, slightly feeling down. "She never replied to my email... It's been four months..."

"Ludwina is fine. Maybe she still needs time to heal her pain," said Johann. "She's currently in Italy if I'm not mistaken."

Hearing this, Andrea looked down. Ludwina went to his favorite country without him. That made him even sadder. He still remembered when they traveled together for the first time. He and Ludwina went to Holland, France, and Italy. That was where their love blossomed.

"Actually, I brought some things for you..." Johann said to him. He took out a book from his bag. "Ludwina's novel was finally published and became a bestseller."

Andrea looked up. His eyes seemed to glow with joy.

"Really? Wow... that's great. I knew Ludwina could do it." He flipped through the novel, and when he saw Ludwina's photo on the back cover, he smiled happily. He placed the book on his chest and closed his eyes. "My Ludwina is truly amazing."

Johann watched Andrea's enthusiasm with a sad heart. He also brought something else for Andrea, which was sure to spoil his enthusiasm.

"Uhm... I also brought something else..." He handed over a folder containing documents. "This is Ludwina's wish. I really disapprove of this. Dad and mom also disagreed. You know how much mom really wants to celebrate your fifth wedding anniversary..."

Andrea's shoulders immediately drooped. He had read the title of the document.

Ludwina wanted a divorce from him.