Chapter 2
Growing up an orphan. I always thought I would end up alone. But after Antonio showed up, my life started to change. Before I knew it, I got used to having him around.
So I dropped out of school and started working four jobs a day to support Antonio’s education. And I made sure he had the best clothes and everything he needed. Over the next five years, I helped him become the man everyone admired.
Antonio didn’t let me down. He excelled in every subject and treated me
well.
He would secretly take up jobs to earn money, just to buy me new clothes I couldn’t afford. In the cold winters, he would come pick me up from my job every single day…
After five years of life depending on each other, Antonio’s family found
him.
That was when I realized why the police couldn’t find any information about him. He was the heir to one of the top families in Ravenvale. His identity was a secret to the public.
On the day we left the small town, Antonio gently took my hand and said with a smile, “Gracie, come with me.
“From now on, it’s my turn to take care of you.”
When I opened the door, the living room was dimly lit.
Chapter
Antonio sat on the couch in an expensive custom–made suit, his face dark. When he heard the door open, he slowly turned his head and coldly asked, “Where have you been? Didn’t I tell you to stay home?”
I stood there, gazing at him for a long while in silence.
After switching on the light, I casually answered, “Ethan had something to ask me, so I went back to the Kaufman’s mansion.”
After saying that, I walked into the kitchen, put on my apron, and started cooking as usual.
Antonio, seeing my cold attitude, dashed into the kitchen in rage. “Grace! Are you trying to test my patience?
“How dare you talk to me like that?”
I froze.
This book had been added on your bookshelf
From some point, every word he said was laced with harshness. In my past life, I had just thought he was overwhelmed with work.
Now, I realized it was because he didn’t love me anymore, so there was no need for him to be polite.
A wave of sadness washed over me, and I took a deep breath. Putting down the knife, I turned to Antonio.
“So, how should I talk to you? Antonio, I don’t owe you anything.”
At my words, Antonio clenched his fists, knuckles white. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at me. Then he scoffed, “You don’t owe me anything?
“Grace, if it weren’t for me, would you be living in this fancy house or driving that sports car?
“Don’t forget, you were just an orphan from a small town!”
The closer you were to someone, the easier it was to hurt them with the sharpest words.
Though feeling devastated, I had to hold back the tears.
It wasn’t until much later that Antonio seemed to realize how mean he had been. Just when he calmed down and wanted to say something, his phone
rang.
Right after he pulled it from his pocket. I saw the name “Graycee” on the
screen..
His tone was so gentle, totally different from how he talked to me.
“Gracie, don’t worry. I’ll be right there to pick you up. Stay in the car and
don’t move.”
With that, Antonio quickly left the kitchen without sparing me a glance.
The door slammed behind him, and I collapsed to the cold floor.
Tears streamed down my face.
I clutched my chest and whispered through my sobs, “Antonio… every time you call me Gracie, you’re actually thinking about her, right?”
That night, Antonio didn’t come home. The next day, I saw the headlines plastered all over social media: a photo of Antonio carrying Graycee into a villa.
Everyone was saying the golden boy of Ravenvale’s elite, Antonio, and the darling heiress, Graycee, were finally tying the knot. The perfect couple. A match made in heaven.
They were right. They were from the same world.
And me? I was nothing more than an outsider. Just someone who happened to save Antonio’s life.
It took me three days to pull everything together. Documents, visas, and a spot at a pricey overseas program.
Antonio wasn’t wrong. If it weren’t for him, I’d never have had the life I do now. We owed each other nothing.
When I first arrived in Ravenvale, Ethan was good to me. And now, as I prepared to leave, I thought a small gesture would be nice, considering how much money he gave me to get started.
I walked into a high–end tie shop, intending to buy Ethan something classy. But the moment I stepped inside, I froze.
There, in the middle of the store, was Graycee. She was adjusting a tie around Antonio’s neck, her face glowing with laughter. Their eyes met in a way that could only be described as intimate.
Antonio noticed me almost immediately.
The warmth in his expression vanished in an instant. His brows furrowed, and his jaw tightened as he strode toward me. “Are you following me?” asked he.
I felt a pang in my chest and opened my mouth to explain, but Graycee. beat me to it.
“Oh, this must be Ms. Parrish,” she said, looping her arm through Antonio’s. “The famous lifesaver?”
Seeing them like this, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
My voice came out sharper than I intended. “Yeah So what“”
“Grace, watch your tone!”
As soon as I finished speaking, Antonio roared at me.
I looked up at him, forcing a hollow smile. “What, did I say something Wrong?”
Graycee tugged gently at his sleeve, her voice soft but pointed. “Antonio, why waste your energy on someone so… beneath us??” She turned to me, her lips curling into a mocking smile. “Ms. Parrish, it seems a few days in the Kaufman’s house have made you forget your place.
“Let me remind you: if it weren’t for Antonio, you’d never have the privilege of standing here, let alone speaking to me.”
Everyone seemed to think saving Antonio was some great honor for me. Antonio himself probably thought the same.
I let out a bitter laugh and looked down. “If I could do it all over again…. My voice was quiet but steady. “I wouldn’t save him.”
