Chapter 4

Conrad's POV:

After we finished the meal, Mike started opening the housewarming gifts his friends had brought him. When he opened up the last few bigger gifts, his hands started trembling with excitement. He had received ten pairs of this season's limited-edition sneakers that were displayed in a small shoe exhibition.

The card on the gift read: [I have no idea which pair you like, so I got all of them for you.]

Mike hugged the shoebox, and his face flushed red from the excitement. He put his hand around Gina's shoulder and smiled. "How did you know I've been into this brand recently? You've spent too much on me!"

"Well, you did mention before that you liked this designer," Gina replied, unable to hide her adoring tone. "I didn't want you to waste your time trying to pick only one pair."

I looked down at my feet. I had been wearing the same pair of shoes for two years, and the sides of my shoes had gotten so worn out that they had turned white.

During our early years together, I used to wear an old pair of shoes that were too small for my feet to run sales rounds with her because I was trying to save money. We were out the entire day, and my feet got hurt so badly that my socks stuck to my flesh because of all the blood.

That night when we returned to our rented home, I could hardly separate my shoes from my feet. She came over to me with some hot water, and crouched to help me slowly remove my shoes after soaking them in the water.

When she saw how seriously I was hurt, she teared up. "I'm sorry that you have to suffer along with me, Conrad. I swear that one day, you'll always have a car to ride whenever you leave the house. I won't ever let you walk anywhere again."

It had been three years, and those shoes that hurt my feet had been thrown away, but she had always forgotten her promise to me.

Mike's friends said enviously, "Gosh, Gina really knows how to buy a gift!"

He shook his head and smiled sweetly. "She said I'm the first person that she truly loves, and she had to give me something that shows it."

I could not listen any longer. While everyone was busy admiring the shoes and exclaiming in envy, I turned away and went to the end of the corridor where no one was there. A hand suddenly reached out to pull me into the shadows.

"Please don't be mad, Conrad." Gina took out an ATM card from her pocket and stuffed it into my palm. She pressed my fingers around the card forcefully. "There's enough money in there to buy you a hundred—even a thousand—pairs of shoes. I've also transferred the villa in Westbrook to your name."

I could feel Gina's heartbeat against my back. "Just give me a little more time. I promise I'll settle this once and for all."

Mike called out to Gina outside, "Gina! Are you done making that pot of tea?"

Gina looked at me for a few seconds before heading outside with the tea tray. She stopped for a while at the door and said in a low voice, "I'll make this up to you."

During the first year we were together, she promised to give me a home. It has been three years, and she has not given me a home. All she gave me was a promise to make it up to me.

Mike took the cup of tea from her hands and started chatting with his friends about his future with Gina. He held Gina's arm and said with a smile, "By the way, have you transferred the shares you mentioned? I don't need to work anymore when that's done, right?"

Gina's expression changed slightly.

"Are you getting shares?" One of his friends sounded interested.

He nodded, unable to hide the glee in his voice. "Gina said that all I need is to own a part of the company. After that, I just need to stay at home. She wants to see me every day when she comes home, and she doesn't want me to work too hard. Gina will take care of me…"

"Mike," Gina called out. "Stop talking about it."

He stopped and looked at her questioningly. "What's wrong?"

Gina said nothing, but glanced at me with a worried look in her eyes, and she quickly looked away. She reached out for a tissue and gently wiped away a bit of sauce at the corner of his mouth.

Mike smiled in embarrassment. "I just wanted everyone to know how much you love me…"

Gina and I owned that company. We did not have much money when we started it, and we worked out of our rented home then. She was in charge of sales, while I worked the accounts. When she drew up a proposal, I helped her amend it. I worked two jobs at once for that company.

When the company finally stabilized, she told me, "You can rest now. I'll do all the work for the company."

It turned out, doing all the work meant giving out the company shares and the result of our efforts to another man. I wanted to confront her about it, but the words were somehow stuck in my throat.

That was when my phone buzzed in my pocket. The taxi I had booked for the airport had arrived.