For him, I defied my parents and stayed in Edinburgh after graduation. We rented a shabby ten-square-meter apartment, waking at six every morning to catch the subway and returning home at nine at night.

Those days were hard, but we were happy.

Back then, Gregory promised to propose once he made a name for himself.

Later, I used my connections to help him start his business. When things stabilized, he promised we’d get married.

Two years later, when he became a multimillionaire, he promised me a grand wedding.

Early this year, he finally proposed.

At the time, I thought we were set to grow old together.

But then Lucy appeared and I realized how foolish I had been to silently sacrifice everything.

Lucy was a college student I anonymously sponsored. Somehow, she found out my address and came to Edinburgh after graduating.

Crying, she told me she had no one else to turn to and begged to stay with me for a few days.

Gregory, seeing her pitiful state, not only let her stay but also arranged an internship for her at his company.

At first, he complained often about her.

"A country bumpkin. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t bother with her."

But over time, I noticed him growing more and more attached to her.

Although he often scolded her for being clumsy and out of her depth, he personally rewrote her reports, ignored his colleagues’ gossip, drove her to and from work, let her nap in his office and even went out of his way to smooth over her workplace relationships.

When my friend moved abroad and asked me to rent out their flat, I thought it would be a good opportunity for Lucy to move in.

I never expected Lucy to burst into tears, clinging to me and begging not to be kicked out.

Just as I was trying to calm her down, Gregory walked into the house. He took one look at the scene and immediately stood protectively in front of her.

"Rosalie, where’s your kindness? How dare you bully Lucy behind my back?" he snapped.

Then, turning to her, he said gently, "Don’t worry, Lucy. This is my house. No one has the right to kick you out."

I forced myself to remain calm and tried to explain. "It’s not that. I just think it’s inconvenient for Lucy to live with us all the time. My friend’s flat is nearby and she’d be more comfortable living on her own."

But instead of listening, Gregory accused me of being narrow-minded.