Semua Bab I Loved You Once: Bab 1 - Bab 10

"I'm telling you, Somerset—just because we're poor doesn't mean we don't have dignity. Who do you think you are, humiliating us like this?" Harvey Thompson shoved me hard and pulled Tilly behind him, the look he leveled at me sharp and hostile.The familiar scene replayed itself so vividly that my mind went blank for a moment. Hadn't I already died, burned alive in that fire orchestrated by my wife and her beloved childhood sweetheart? Yet what stood before me now was the moment from 12 years ago, the day I had insisted on sponsoring Tilly.At this point in time, Tilly was still wearing a plain floral dress, a pink ribbon in her hair fluttering in the breeze like a butterfly caught in spring. A few loose strands framed her already pale face, making her look even more fragile and pitiful. That image of her—resilient yet delicate, like an untouched flower—had hooked me completely, turning me into someone who willingly hovered around her, asking for nothing in return.I had first met T

She used the excuse of studio work to secretly meet Harvey, often staying out overnight. Even after I saw through it—on our wedding anniversary, no less—when I begged her to stay and spend the night with me, she still wouldn’t give me a single kind look."The more you cling to me like this, Jace, the more disgusted I feel."My persistence had turned into harassment in her eyes.Unable to feel even a shred of love or security, I began to spiral into suspicion, questioning her obsessively every time about why she treated me this way. In truth, I was only desperate to find even the slightest trace of love or care for me in her answers."Tilly Jenkins! After everything I've done for you, this is how you treat me?!" I shouted in despair, my heart already shattered.She finally stopped, but when she turned, her expression was colder than ever. "So what? You want me trailing after you like a dog, Mr. Somerset? I'm human. If you think you can trap me with a cage made of money, you're drea

That was how, step by step, Tilly had slowly come to misunderstand me and drift farther and farther away.Thinking about it now, anger surged through me. I deliberately waved the bank card at Harvey and gloated, "What, disappointed? Inside this card is 300 thousand. A gutter rat like you wouldn't earn that in a lifetime."Since you think I'm humiliating you, fine—I won't sponsor you anymore. You poor people with such lofty morals wouldn't possibly care about a mere 300 thousand, right?" I smiled faintly, watching Harvey's expression twist, and my mood instantly lifted.Just as I turned to leave, Tilly suddenly grabbed hold of me. Her eyes trembled, as if they were packed with countless things she wanted to say but didn't know how to voice."Jace, how could you just stop supporting me?!" she shouted, but I only found her raised voice ridiculous."Don't you like me anymore?" The question came out cautiously, almost timidly—so much like how I used to sound when I stood before her, ca

"If she can't finish school because you cut her off—if she starves to death—can you really take responsibility for that?"I wasn't in a hurry at all. The bigger the audience, the more entertaining it'd be. "I'm the reason she had to sell her blood, huh? I'm the reason she's broke, and just because I'm rich, I'm obligated to give it to you, is that it? You're terrible at making money, but you sure are experts at moral blackmail. You've got hands and feet, and you claim to love Tilly deeply—if she's already desperate enough to sell blood, why couldn't you even make sure she had a full meal? If that didn't work, you could've gone into some back alley business and taken customers. At least that way, your precious Tilly wouldn't starve."Scattered laughter instantly broke out around us."Yeah, that's textbook moral blackmail.""Being poor doesn't automatically make you right. People who never work hard and just want handouts are exhausting.""This is ridiculous—just because he's rich

Whenever I brought Tilly fruit, he would say, "Wow, this box of cherries must've been expensive. Your world really is something people like us could never touch, Jace."And Tilly would immediately push the cherries aside and say stubbornly, "I like apples better."When I took Tilly to try on wedding dresses, he would linger nearby and comment, "You look stunning in a wedding gown, Tilly. Guess you're really about to step out of the poor world—figures. For girls, marriage really is the only way to change their fate."At that, Tilly would silently change out of the dress, pack up her things, and leave with a cool, detached, "A simple wedding will be fine."The sharp look in his eyes following every remark had been a clear signal—he hated me to the bone, yet I had been too stupid to see it."About that child…" Tilly explained guiltily. "That night was Mr. Thompson's death anniversary. Harvey and I had one too many and lost control. After that… I didn't want it to happen either, Jace.