"I thought being a son would make the Torres family care about you! But you're so worthless they won't even look at you!"
Summoning all my courage, I rushed over and stood in front of him.
"Ma'am, you can't talk to him like that. Everyone has their own strengths!"
Xavier pushed me away from behind and kicked me twice, his blows vicious and desperate.
"Go away! I don't need your pity!"
Afterward, he tossed all the snacks I brought him into the trash and shredded the notes I had painstakingly prepared for him after staying up all night.
My friends all told me I was crazy for wasting my time on someone like him.
But it was also Xavier who, without hesitation, jumped in to save me when I fell into the water.
He used every ounce of his strength to pull me to shore, holding me tightly as I shivered uncontrollably.
For once, his usually arrogant face was filled with fear.
He buried his head in my neck and sobbed.
"Serena, I'm sorry. I just can't say it out loud. You mean so much to me!
"I don't want to lose you. Can you let me protect you from now on?"
He stayed by my side in the ambulance, gripping my hand all the way to the hospital.
The doctor joked and asked if he was so nervous because I was his girlfriend.
Blushing, he nodded, begging the doctor to save me as if we were in a TV drama, making everyone laugh.
After that day, he started working hard, determined to get into the same university as me.
He said I was so naive that I’d definitely get bullied without him around.
But now, he was the one bullying me.
After college, Xavier launched his own business.
In those days, we were incredibly poor, living in a tiny attic that was drafty in winter and leaked in summer.
Money was tight, and every penny had to be carefully spent.
It’s no exaggeration to say we couldn’t afford meat more than once a week.
But we were happy. We held hands everywhere we went, and even laughed and played while cooking in our cramped kitchen.
Back then, we only had eyes for each other.
As his business flourished, his success grew. Our home got bigger, and the money flowed in.
But as time went on, we spent less and less time together, and the hands that once held each other gradually drifted apart without us realizing it.
Six months ago, Loretta, freshly graduated, started working beside Xavier.
He often mentioned how his new assistant was lively and energetic, reminding him of me when I had just graduated.