Chapter 56
I liked Patrick, and that was my biggest secret.
Before Yaritza appeared, he was the brother I adored and looked up to the most.
He would help me with my homework patiently and travel miles just to buy my favorite little cakes.
On the anniversaries of my parents’ deaths, he would always be by my side, sharing my grief.
He once said, “You will never be alone. No matter when or where, I will always be there for you.”
Over time, my feelings for Patrick shifted from simple reliance to a deeper affection.
But that was in the past. My feelings for him disappeared the moment he sent people to destroy me.
I never imagined he would find out about my feelings, nor did I expect him to reveal them publicly.
All at once, emotions of shame and humiliation welled up inside me.
I shoved him away and yelled, “Yes, but now I’ve seen you for what you really are!”
He sneered, “Doesn’t matter. I love Yaritza.
The farce ended with Dustin being rushed to the hospital after suffering a heart attack.
Ironically, as Dustin was being carried away on a stretcher, Patrick and Yaritza ran to the school’s broadcasting station.
Speaking into the microphone, Patrick proclaimed with deep affection, “I love Yaritza. In my heart, she will be my only wife. No one can separate us! Not my dad, not the teachers!”
Yaritza, moved by his words, was in tears.
“We are in love. We will prove to everyone, with time, that we’ll end up in marriage. And we hope you will all attend our wedding one day!”
Their juvenile proclamation not only became fodder for their classmates to mimic
but also caused the principal, who was drinking water at the time, to choke and cough violently. Both were suspended from school for two weeks as punishment.
Patrick, furious at Dustin, thought his father didn’t support his love.
During his two-week suspension, he refused to visit Dustin in the hospital even once.
I took on the responsibility of looking after Dustin. I was deeply grateful to this middle-aged man, who, despite his stern exterior, had a soft heart.
If it weren’t for Dustin raising me, I might have become a homeless orphan by now.
Thus, I took time off from school and stayed at the hospital to care for Dustin.
When he was awake, I would bring him meals, monitor his heart rate, and read the newspaper to him.
When he was asleep, I would concentrate on my lessons.
Dustin looked at me with a pleased expression. “Averie, thank you. I know how hard you study, and you still took time off to care for me… But my ungrateful son…”
“Dustin, all I want is for you to be healthy.”
I replied sincerely.