Chapter 3
My name was Grace, but honestly, my life felt like one big tragedy.
I met Charles in high school. Honestly, we were worlds apart.
He came from a wealthy family, had loving parents, and excelled both academically and in character. He always ranked first in every exam.
The only setback in his life was a car accident that forced him to take a year off, which put him in my grade.
As for me, strictly speaking, I was an orphan.
The only real connection Charles and I had was that our names always ended up side by side on the class list.
Honestly, my grades were the only thing I could be proud of.
I looked pretty average and was undernourished compared to my peers. My personality was so reserved that I was basically a loner.
But Charles genuinely respected me as a competitor. He once said to me, "If you had the same family background as I do, you'd probably be more amazing than I am."
After that, he started secretly leaving food for me.
My desk started filling up with all kinds of delicious treats. There were hearty breakfasts, bread smeared with strawberry jam, chocolate bars, and cola-flavored candies.
I no longer had to struggle to focus in class because I was starving. And I stopped getting sick all the time.
That day during break, my period was acting up, so I awkwardly slipped into the classroom to grab some tissues.
I couldn't afford pads, so every time I had to make do with a bunch of tissues.
I caught Charles lurking by my desk, looking all sneaky. He was holding a pack of pink pads.
Our eyes met, and his face flushed bright red.
He kept his head down, too embarrassed to look at me, fumbling as he stuffed the pads into my arms.
Before bolting, he took off his jacket and tied it around my waist to hide the bloodstain on my pants.
The sunlight was gentle that day, casting its warmth on Charles's face, which was flushed so deeply it looked like it might bleed.
For the first time in ages, I felt a crack open in my heart, a small, shadowed corner that had always been wrapped in darkness was finally warmed by a light I'd almost forgotten existed.
Over the three years of high school, Charles gently cradled my shattered self-esteem.
He cared for me with such tenderness, helping me heal and become whole again.
For the first time, I no longer felt insecure, overly sensitive, or withdrawn. I finally learned how to let myself be loved, and how to love someone back.
We kept our feelings bottled up, almost bursting out, as we struggled through the endless pressure of high school.
When we finally became a couple in college, everything between us was smooth and steady.
He kept saying he wanted me to meet his family.
He always told me his mom was strict, but she treated him well, and he was sure she'd like me, too.
I began to look forward to meeting her. After all, anyone who raised someone as outstanding as Charles had to be pretty amazing herself.
*****
On my birthday, I was working my shift at the restaurant, counting down the hours until my date with Charles that night. I ended up face-to-face with Lydia.
She was nothing like the warm, gentle mom I'd imagined.
Her makeup was meticulous, and her eyes were calculating and cold. The way Lydia sized me up was dripping with disgust.
She towered over me, radiating a sense of oppressive superiority. "Grace, I've done my homework on you. You have an abusive father, a mother who died young. Your family is a complete disaster.
"I know you're only with Charles for our family's money. He's young, so if he wants to fool around, I suppose that's acceptable.
"Don't overstep and remember your place. I don't mind letting him enjoy himself with you for a while during college."
I used to bite my tongue and put up with being mocked and humiliated by others. But I couldn't bear having my genuine feelings for Charles dragged through the mud in front of everyone.
As I stood there crying, trying to explain myself, Lydia smirked at me. "Acting pitiful won't bring you any closer to Charles. And don't think about coming between us."
After that, I never told Charles about what happened.
It wasn't until after a Valentine's Day date, when Charles's gentle teasing and affection finally broke down my last defenses, that we gave ourselves to each other completely.
Afterward, Charles pulled me into his arms, utterly satisfied, and whispered that he couldn't wait to make me his wife the moment we graduated.
When I saw Lydia again, she put me through another round of humiliation.
She splashed a glass of water right in my face. "Who taught you to use your body to lure men? Do you really think you can secure your place by having his child?"
She said all sorts of nasty things, and then finally turned her fire on Charles. "I've worked so hard to raise you all these years, so you could take over your dad's company and finally put an end to all his dirty business outside.
"If you stay with her, you'll ruin your whole life. Do you really think any of this is yours? Your dad could make us homeless with a snap of his fingers, and she'd be the first to leave you."
Charles stood there in silence.
He didn't stand up for me that day, and he never brought up breaking up with me afterward.
It took years and a lot of hard lessons before you could easily see through someone's true colors.
When I was young, I couldn't see it. All I could do was sob and complain that fate was unfair, ruining my love story.
Years down the line, I finally got how ridiculously naive and stupid I was, all because I let my feelings cloud my judgment.
After that, we both silently agreed never to bring up what happened that day again. In our most intimate moments, no matter how deep our feelings grew, we never mentioned marriage again.