Pampered After Divorce - Chapter 84: Chapter 84

Giovanni’s POV
“Roger, could you work on your fist speed in the corner for a moment? I need to talk to Molly quickly," I said. Roger moved to the corner without saying a word.
Molly looked at me eagerly. "What's the matter?"
Reluctantly, I began, "You remember that guy Smile you mentioned?"
Her face lit up with a dreamy smile, and for some reason, it bothered me. The fact that her smile was for Hank and not me gnawed at me.
"Yes, what about him?" she asked. I sighed. "I think I know him, and he's on his way here."
Her expression was priceless. I wished she had been this happy to see me again. Soon enough, Hank arrived, holding a large bouquet.
Molly's face lit up at the sight of the flowers, unaware that Hank was the man I had mentioned. "They're beautiful," she remarked, and Hank wore the best smile I had ever seen on him.
"And they're for you," he said, offering the bouquet to her. I could see the confusion on her face.
"Pardon me?" She seemed hesitant to accept it, secretly pleasing me and making me like her even more. She clearly appreciated the flowers but wasn't sure about taking them.
Hank maintained his smile and began to explain, "Molly, I meant..." but Roger had already run to hug his leg.
"Uncle Hank, I'm so happy you could join our training."
Hank handed the bouquet to Molly and lifted Roger in his arms. Molly looked at me helplessly.
"He's the boy you mentioned, Smile or whatever you called him," I clarified on Hank's behalf. Molly looked shocked.
"No way," she exclaimed. But Hank smiled and, still holding Roger, explained further.
“The last time I was here, I wanted to ask you about it but didn't get the chance. You brought warmth and light into my dark world, and knowing how much you love flowers, I got you some."
"You've changed so much," Molly observed, looking skeptical, so Hank gently dropped Roger and spoke again.
"I know, but I never forgot how you always tried to make me happy. And hey, there are chocolates with the flowers, just like you used to give me."
Molly laughed at his words, but tears welled up in her eyes. "Can I get a hug?" She asked him, and Hank looked at me. "Can I hug your woman?"
The fact that he referred to her as "my woman" indicated that he respected boundaries, so I shrugged. "She asked for it."
As they embraced, I couldn't bear to watch. A part of me resented her sharing her hugs, smiles, or tears with anyone else but me. Even her singing voice, which used to captivate me, now felt like a betrayal.
Lately, she had been singing more often to make Roger happy, and we both enjoyed being in the kitchen with her as she sang while preparing her special dishes.
"Thank you for being my friend, Molly," I heard Hank say, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye before I turned to face them.
"Enough! Molly, you have to muster those punches," I interjected, trying to divert her attention from Hank. But she just smiled at me, warming my heart.
"I'll put these in a vase. Just give me five minutes."
As soon as I nodded, she left the gym, and Hank approached me. "So, are you going to answer my question now? Who are you choosing? Her or Octavia?"
Hank was unaware of the details of my relationship with Octavia, so his question didn't surprise me.
He wasn't present when I had to make a difficult decision, and I had promised Octavia that no one would know about it. Breaking that promise for Molly was already a compromise.
"Octavia was never an option, if you catch my drift," I replied, enjoying the confusion on Hank's face.
"Why can't you just get to the point, Gio?"
A chuckle escaped me as I glared at him. “I never stopped loving Molly, but you know why I can’t tell her. Even if she agrees to give me a chance, I might just hurt her. She doesn’t deserve to be trapped with a man like me, but I don’t think I can let her go.”
“So, are you giving me the chance to pursue her?” Hank made his intentions clear, and I knew I had to draw the line for him.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“I’m ready,” Molly’s voice interrupted the conversation. The tension in the room was palpable, and I couldn’t tell who looked more confused between Molly and Roger.
However, we both regretted having this conversation in front of a four-year-old when we thought he wasn’t listening because Roger exposed us.
“Molly, Uncle Hank and Daddy are confronting each other because of you.”
“What?” Molly looked confused, but I explained it the best I could, not wanting to scare her away from me.
“He doesn’t know what he’s saying. Don’t listen to him.”
Just as I felt the tension dissipating from the atmosphere, Hank worsened matters. “Do you mind if I help you train?”
I was about to refuse, but he smartly added, “It’s the least I can do for all the happy memories you gave me.”
Molly stared at Roger, and the latter shook his head. “Uncle Hank isn’t as soft as Daddy, Molly. I wouldn’t agree if I were you.”
His words were meant to scare her, but somehow, her eyes gleamed with interest. “I’m in.”
For some reason, I decided to take a step back and watched them train together. Hank asked her to use him as a boxing dummy.
“See me as your sister Kiara, or your ex-husband, and give me your best punch.”
Even as Hank aroused her anger, her punch was nowhere close to that of even Roger’s. Her defense was great, but her attack was terrible, not until Hank used the hard way, which I would not have had the courage to do.
He punched Molly hard on the cheek, sending her to the floor with bleeding gums. My heart sank, and I couldn’t take it anymore. “The fuck you had to do that for?”