From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 101- marrying Bert!

To be loved and cherished so thoughtfully by a man—any woman would surely be moved enough to accept such a proposal.

Yet what comforted Catherine the most was not the grandeur of the moment, but the fact that Marylin truly liked the ring she had designed. After all, this was the first time she had formally designed something for someone else. Back when she was still in school, she had only assisted her professors with their designs. Even the ring she later designed for Bert after returning home had been personal in nature—done freely, without pressure, simply following her instincts.

But Marylin’s engagement ring was different. This time, it was for a real client, and for something as significant as a proposal. While designing it, Catherine had carried a fair amount of psychological pressure. Now that Marylin loved it, all that pressure finally melted away—and in its place grew a newfound confidence in herself.

Along with the photos, Bert had sent her a message:

What do you think?

What did she think?

Catherine’s only real thought was this: that Marylin liking and being satisfied with the ring was truly wonderful.

So that was exactly what she replied.

Not long after, Bert messaged again:

I’m asking what you think of the proposal.

Catherine didn’t quite understand why he was so persistent about her opinion of someone else’s proposal. After thinking for a moment, she replied:

A dazzling love. A romantic and touching proposal.

He asked again:

Do you like it?

This time, Catherine didn’t answer.

No matter how slow she might be, she could already sense his intention. Was he planning to give her a similarly grand, romantic proposal someday?

But they hadn’t even defined their relationship yet.

Just imagining such a scene made her heart race, pounding so hard it felt as if it might leap out of her chest.

Afraid to think any further, she hurriedly replied:

It’s late. You should rest early—you’ve had a long day.

Okay.

He replied with just that single word, and their conversation ended there.

After lying down in bed, Catherine found herself unable to stop thinking about his questions—about whether she liked Karl and Marylin’s proposal, as though he were ready to recreate it for her if she said yes.

Such romance, such tenderness—what woman wouldn’t like it?

Every girl carries dreams of the future, of weddings and love. Even after growing up and experiencing the harsh realities of life—after youthful fantasies are inevitably worn down—those quiet hopes for the future, for a wedding, even for a proposal, never truly disappear.

If there were a man who could give her a proposal, a wedding, a peaceful and warm home... who could offer her care and affection, and spare her from the hardships she had endured in the first half of her life—she would be willing to marry him.

What Catherine had never imagined was that such a man could be Bert.

A man so perfect he felt almost untouchable.

Yes—perfect.

No matter what darkness might exist in his past, the Bert she knew was a flawless gentleman.

And because of those few words he had sent her, Catherine slept restlessly that night.

Still, his own happiness didn’t matter. As long as she was happy, that was enough.

After the banquet ended, they stood at the entrance to see off all their colleagues. Once everyone had left, the vast villa fell quiet, leaving only Catherine and Bert behind. Bert glanced at her and said,

"Let’s go. I’ll take you home."

Catherine thought of the mess inside the house and looked at him before speaking up on her own initiative.

"Let me help you clean up before I go."

With so many people eating and drinking, the place must be a disaster. Cleaning it up would be exhausting. He had been up early all day and had spent the entire day preparing and hosting such a lively welcome party—if he still had to deal with all this afterward, he’d be completely worn out.

Bert stopped and looked at her, his eyes filled with a knowing smile.

"Are you sure you want to stay and help me clean up? It’s already quite late."

His "kind" reminder instantly made Catherine feel awkward. He was right—if they really started cleaning now, it would take a long time. And the villa was quite far from the city. Was she supposed to stay over at his place?

That wouldn’t be appropriate.

Besides, Renata definitely wouldn’t agree to that either. So Catherine hurriedly lowered her head and went back inside to gather her things.

Bert followed her in and explained gently from behind,

"I’ve already called two housekeepers. They’ll come later and take care of everything. You don’t need to worry about me getting tired."

Catherine immediately turned around, embarrassed and annoyed, glaring at him.

"Who said I was worried about you getting tired?"

Then, trying to change the subject, she quickly pulled the book she had borrowed from him out of her bag and handed it to him.

"I’ve finished reading it. Here, I’m returning it."

She dreamed all night about a proposal.

In her dream, there was a magnificent castle, an exquisite pumpkin carriage, flowers blooming everywhere in romantic splendor. There was a handsome man, a pure white wedding dress, and a beautiful ring...

When she woke up, everything from the dream still felt vividly real. She hurriedly grabbed a pen and paper from the table beside her bed and began sketching everything she had seen in the dream. She studied design, after all—rough sketching like this was second nature to her. Before long, every scene from the dream had come to life on paper.

Inspired by a sudden flash of creativity, Catherine picked up another sheet of paper and began drawing the rings—both the men’s and women’s styles. But the most dangerous part was this: when she looked at the design of the men’s ring, the first person who came to mind was Bert.

In her heart, there was only Bert. And she felt that only Bert would truly suit wearing that ring.

"Cici—"

Renata’s voice came from outside the door.

"I’m going downstairs to exercise. I’ve made breakfast. If you’re awake, come out and eat."

Renata’s voice snapped Catherine back to reality. She checked the time and realized that more than an hour had passed since she got up to draw. No wonder Renata had already finished breakfast and was heading out to exercise.

After responding to Renata, Catherine’s gaze fell once more on the two sheets of paper in front of her—one depicting a wedding scene, the other the sketches of a pair of rings. Her face flushed red. She quickly grabbed the papers, crumpled them into a ball, and tossed them into the trash bin beside her bed.

What on earth was she thinking?!

She had actually been fantasizing about marrying Bert!

After throwing the sketches away, Catherine hurried out of bed. She washed up quickly, ate breakfast, and then went downstairs to accompany Renata on her walk and exercise.

Catherine planned to spend the entire Sunday with Renata. In truth, aside from staying with her, there wasn’t much else she could do.

Because of what had happened two years ago, the only friend she had left was Riley. Everyone else had cut ties with her to avoid trouble. There was no one she could ask out to go shopping or have tea with.

Nor was she like other women her age, enjoying a stable relationship and spending weekends on dates.

Catherine planned to take Renata to the mall to buy some new clothes. After her illness, Renata had lost a lot of weight, and her old clothes now hung loosely on her. Renata had always been someone with high standards for taste and detail. Even though their financial situation had always been modest, she insisted on being neat and presentable when it came to clothing.

Neither of them owned many clothes, but every piece fit well and looked appropriate. Now, however, Renata’s clothes no longer fit—and yet she had never mentioned buying new ones.

Catherine couldn’t bear to see the always-dignified Renata dressed like this. She also knew Renata felt deeply guilty toward her because of the surgery. If Catherine didn’t bring it up herself, Renata would probably never suggest buying clothes.

After exercising downstairs, they went back upstairs to change and then headed to the mall.

Renata hadn’t wanted to go at first, but Catherine insisted, and in the end, Renata gave in.

They didn’t go far—just a mall near where they lived.

While Renata was trying on a wool sweater, Catherine received a call from Bert. His voice was lazy and slightly hoarse, as if he had just woken up—or perhaps was still lying in bed.

"What are you doing?"

Bert really had woken up but hadn’t gotten out of bed yet. After running around and entertaining so many employees the day before, he finally allowed himself to sleep in. Lying in bed with nothing to do after waking up, he decided to give her a call.