Levi Davis and I grew up together in the orphanage. He was quiet and reserved. I was his only friend. We endured the days of being bullied together.

Until one day his biological parents found him. I learned he was actually a lost heir of a wealthy family.

Despite his family's objections, he dated me for seven years. Then, he got engaged to someone else secretly.

He even shamelessly said I was not worthy of him.

But he didn't know that I had a secret about my own background.

When we met again, I smiled at him and said, "Call me Aunt."

——

When I arrived at the banquet hall, the engagement ceremony was nearly over.

Levi was holding Gianna Brown's arm, toasting people.

The banquet was bustling. Everyone wore suits and gowns. I looked out of place and dusty.

Ignoring the strange looks from others, I approached step by step. Levi's conversation with others became clearer.

"I heard you had a little girlfriend before. Does she know you're engaged?"

He sneered. "We just grew up together. She has no right to meddle in my affairs."

I walked right behind him. The soft carpet masked my steps. I heard his disdainful voice, "Besides, she's just an orphan. Being with me for a few years was her blessing. She's not fit to marry me."

"Is that so?"

Hearing my voice, he turned around in a panic.

"Aria... why are you here? Weren't you supposed to..."

"Go on a trip? I came back early."

I was expressionless. I should have been angry, but I was surprisingly calm.

Levi was about to say something, but Gianna spoke first.

"You must be the girl clinging to Levi. It's okay. You came just in time. We're getting engaged today. Have a drink to celebrate."

She raised her glass and flicked her wrist, spilling red wine all over me.

Seeing my disheveled state, she pretended to be surprised, then covered her mouth and laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean it. How much was your outfit? Is 200 dollars enough?"

I ignored her. I just stared at Levi, waiting for an explanation.

People gathered around us, holding their glasses, watching the drama unfold.

A lecherous, greasy man staggered over, drunk.

"Hey beautiful, they're engaged. Stop pestering him. Come with me. I'll buy you new clothes..."

He reached out to grab my waist.

I frowned and was about to dodge, but Levi pulled me to his side.

"Enough, don't cause a scene here. Go back first."

He wanted to show concern, but his words left me cold.

"I'm causing a scene? You tricked me into going on a trip and got engaged without a word. Levi, who's the mistress here?"

Gianna's pretty face twisted instantly. "Didn't you say you dumped her long ago?"

Levi looked troubled and couldn't speak for a moment. He looked at me with reproach, as if I shouldn't be here.

I laughed coldly, shook off his hand, and walked quickly to the champagne tower. I took a glass from the bottom.

The crash was followed by a series of clocks and clatters.

The huge champagne tower collapsed. I raised the glass in my hand and toasted them.

"Wishing you a long life together and eight children in one birth."

I then returned home. Just as I was about to change my clothes, a sharp pain hit me.

The wound on my arm had been there for too long and had stuck to my clothes. Now it was torn open again.

My nose tingled and tears involuntarily fell.

Actually, I came back early because of a car accident.

The tour bus had a chain collision on the highway. The front-row passengers and the driver died on the spot. A few of us in the back row survived.

The feeling of surviving the disaster made me call Levi immediately, but no one answered.

It wasn't until I was on the rescue vehicle that I received a friend request from Gianna.

I knew who she was. The Davis family had been forcing Levi to go on blind dates with her, but he had told me he would find a way to handle it.

Out of curiosity, I accepted the request.

She quickly sent a picture. It was her and Levi's engagement poster.

Then there was a message.

"Stop clinging to Levi. We are about to get engaged."

I immediately squeezed my phone. The happy smiles of the two people on the poster stunned me.

Without bothering to treat my wound, I tried everything to rush back.

All the way, I kept telling myself, "No, Levi wouldn't do this to me. He must have his reasons."

But it wasn't until I saw the intimacy between them and heard what he said that I realized how foolish I was.

Yes, he was the son of a wealthy family. I was an orphan from the welfare home. How could there be a result?

From the day he was taken back, we were no longer people from the same world.

The ridiculous thing was that I foolishly waited for seven years, believing he would marry me.

My thoughts were interrupted by the vibration of the phone. Levi sent a message.

"Wait for me at home."

I wiped away my tears and directly blocked all his contact information.

He was no longer the Levi who shared bread with me in the welfare home. What else could I not let go of?

I packed my things and looked around the place I had lived in for seven years.

Every corner of the house was carefully arranged by me to make it look more like a home.

I laughed at myself mockingly. Now it seemed it was just my wishful thinking.

When I was ten, my parents both died in a car accident.

When I was sent to the welfare home, I saw a group of kids bullying a little boy.

Everyone scolded him for being ungrateful, saying he was adopted and then sent back.

The director pulled the children away, sternly warning them not to bully him again. Then, the director sighed and helped him treat his wound.

Later I learned that the man who adopted him had problems. He chose Levi because he was good-looking.

But when the man tried to make a move on him, Levi resisted fiercely, scratching and biting. Not long after, he was sent back.

It wasn't until the man was caught that the director learned the real reason Levi was sent back.

But this reason couldn't be explained to the children, so everyone misunderstood and bullied him.

I grew up loved by my parents, so I couldn't understand the children's importance of adoption and felt particularly sorry for Levi.

I began to help him. Whenever the children bullied him, I would shout, "The director is coming!"

When someone took his bread, I would secretly save half of mine for him.

Gradually, I also became a target for their bullying.

We went through those tough times together and became the best of friends.

The once silent boy finally smiled at me.

Later, as we grew up, our feelings for each other became stronger than those of family and lovers.

In the small courtyard of the welfare home, I treated his wounds from fights while we dreamed about the future, waiting until we turned eighteen to leave and marry him.

But when he turned eighteen, a luxury car stopped at the entrance of the welfare home.

It turned out Levi was a child of a wealthy family and they had come to take him back.

I was happy for him but sad about the separation because I still had another year before I could leave.

Unexpectedly, he held my hand tightly and said to his parents in the car, "Adopt Aria, or I won't leave."

Both of them looked at me with extreme disdain and refused to take me along.

In the stalemate, I let go of Levi and pretended to be relaxed, saying, "Go ahead. When I come to find you later, you must treat me to a big meal. I can't get enough to eat being with you every day!"

Then I pushed him into the car and ran back to the room without looking back.

That night, I buried myself in the quilt and cried all night.

I understood that we wouldn't be together again.

Later, Levi often wrote to me.

He described his new life to me in great detail.

A new name, a new school, new friends.

He said, "Everything was fine, except without you."

So, holding onto the last bit of hope, I applied to the university where he was.

When he saw me, he was overjoyed and hugged me tightly.

When someone asked who I was, he would proudly answer, "Girlfriend."

The him in my memory could never overlap with the him of today. I thought we were really over.

Life had to go on.

Without Levi, I would continue pursuing my dream of becoming a designer.

Back then, to fit into his circle, I crammed etiquette knowledge and even worked at a luxury store to learn how to interact with high society. I was hoping one day, his family would accept me.

I was so naive.

I forgot that no matter how hard I tried, the gap between our statuses could never be bridged.

I spent all my savings and quickly found a clean small apartment to move into. The next day, I went to work.

Even if I wanted to quit, I would wait until after Valentine's Day. Earning more money was more reliable than relying on a man.

The manager saw me and exclaimed, touching me all over.

"Aria, are you okay?"

I felt a bit embarrassed. Had the news of me ruining someone's engagement party spread so quickly?

Just as I was thinking of what to say, the manager patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I saw you on the news this morning. There was a chain collision on the highway, and you were helping with the rescue, covered in blood, with cars on fire all around. It scared me to death!"

I suddenly understood. "The blood was from my arm. I forgot to wipe it off after sweating."

Reporters had indeed come to interview and take photos. I had been pulled aside to say a few words, not expecting to make the news.

"No wonder you're wearing long sleeves today. By the way, weren't you traveling with your boyfriend? Is he okay?"

Mentioning Levi made my heart ache instantly.

"He..."

"Oh, it seems he's fine. He's coming to find you right after you start work. Isn't he a bit clingy?"

The manager joked with a smile. Following her gaze, I saw Levi walking toward us.

My palms clenched involuntarily. My mind was echoing with his words from yesterday.

The manager didn't know what had happened between us. Since Levi had helped boost the store's sales before, she greeted him warmly and ushered us into the VIP room.

I stood far away from him, with a cold expression.

"Aria, come here."

I looked at him as if I were looking at an idiot.

"Mr. Davis, you are already engaged. It's better if I keep my distance from you."

He had just lifted his coffee cup but put it down heavily.

"Enough. You made such a scene yesterday and took all your things. I've come to find you. What more do you want!"

I trembled with anger. How had he become like this?

Was this the same Levi who would rather not acknowledge his biological parents for me?

Things had changed, and I no longer wanted to be entangled with him.

"I don't want anything. From the moment you got engaged, we were done. I'm not interested in being your mistress."

Mentioning this seemed to soften his expression. He came over to grab my hand.

"I asked you to wait at home yesterday so I could explain. It was wrong to get engaged secretly, but I had my reasons. The Brown family is powerful. I had to get engaged to her to secure my position in the Davis family. Otherwise, I could never marry you. Believe me, I did all this for you."

I shook him off, finding it funny.

"How long do you expect me to wait? Five years? Ten years? Or until you grow old together and she dies before me? Do you think Gianna will let you use her and then marry me?

"Levi, it's one thing to lie to yourself. But can you please leave me alone?"

He darkened his expression. He pushed me onto the sofa and leaned over to trap me.

His obsessive possessiveness erupted at this moment. He gritted his teeth.

"Can you stop throwing a tantrum? We've been together for so many years. Where else can you go if you leave me?"

I was both angry and aggrieved. I used all my strength to push him away. "None of your business! I'm an orphan anyway. I can go wherever I want!"

Levi narrowed his eyes, about to speak when his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and walked to the corner to answer it.

"What's up, babe."

Hearing this familiar "babe" meant for another woman, I could no longer bear it. As I was leaving, I heard him say, "How could I look for her? She just threw herself at me, so I played with her. I'm tired of her already. Don't mention her. Wait for me at the bridal shop. I'll be there soon."

After saying that, he hung up and hurriedly walked over to explain, "Aria, I said all that for our future. I have to go now. Think it over and call me when you understand."

I laughed out of extreme anger, looking at him as if he were an idiot.

"Levi, when did your brain go bad?"

His expression changed drastically. "How dare you!"