Moments later, the sounds of chopping and sizzling drifted from the kitchen. My stomach growled despite my misery, the scent of food wafting faintly through the walls.
“Ugh, never mind. Being hungry won’t take away my heartache,” I muttered bitterly.
Reluctantly, I left my room, drawn by hunger. But when I stepped into the kitchen, I froze.
It was not the chef standing at the stove. It was Lewis.
He turned to me with a cheerful expression, holding a ladle in one hand. “Oh, Grace, you’re finally out. Come eat! I cooked a lot for you. There’s even your favorite meatball soup.”
He acted as if nothing had happened.
Tears welled in my eyes again, pouring freely as the memories of the previous night flooded back.
I stood there, rooted near the kitchen doorway, neither approaching him nor retreating.
Lewis quickly noticed and hurried over, wiping my tears with his hand. “Look at you, such a big girl, but still always crying. What would you do without me?”
His words cut deeper than he could have known. For seven years, I had been spoiled by him, clinging to the belief that he would eventually love me as much as I loved him.
The first time I saw Lewis, I was 13. He was already an 18-year-old college student and my brother’s best friend.
I did not remember much about his earlier visits to our house when Tobias and he were in elementary school, but I knew he was the older boy who used to play with me.
When we reconnected during my teenage years, everything changed.
Lewis became a constant presence, bringing me small gifts, driving me to school, and occasionally inviting me to hang out.
My childhood admiration grew into a full-blown crush.
So, when my parents introduced the idea of an arranged marriage during my college years, I immediately rejected it.
I moved into a studio apartment near campus to escape their pressure, though Tobias eventually convinced me to live with him at his penthouse, promising not to bring up the matchmaking again.
Still, my parents persisted.
Desperate, I turned to Lewis and asked him directly if he would marry me.
“Maybe we can get engaged first,” he said.
His words made my heart soar. I thought my love for him was not one-sided after all.
From that day, we officially began dating and started preparing for our engagement.
Even Tobias, who clearly did not approve of the relationship, chose not to interfere. Everything seemed perfect.