Ten Years of Love and Hate Withered

I didn’t think too much about it; I just assumed someone had sent the message by mistake.

But soon, the white avatar sent another message.

【Anja, what's wrong? Did I upset you again?】

He sounded humble and cautious.

It made me feel worse.

Because this was exactly how Vito used to be.

So, with the most malicious intent, I speculated about who it might be.

【What’s this? Lost a game of truth or dare? Or have you become so stupid that you can’t even tell whose account you’re talking to?】

The person on the other side stayed silent for a long time, then sent a voice message.

【I know you’re angry, so you’re pretending not to know me. But trust me, I’ll keep my distance from Stephen from now on.】

It was… Vito’s voice!

The voice of eighteen-year-old Vito.

Proud and carefree, with the clear and fresh tone of a young boy.

And Stephen was his very close female friend.

The one who encouraged him to run away from marriage.

He then sent a selfie of himself doing homework.

【I’ll listen to you. I’m not going out with them. I’m studying.】

My breath caught for a moment.

It really was eighteen-year-old Vito.

My thoughts suddenly drifted back to the past.

Back then, he was just an ordinary boy, nothing special at all.

But I was hopelessly infatuated with him from the first moment I saw him.

He wasn’t good at studying, often out on the streets with his rowdy friends.

One time, during a heavy rain, he insisted on skipping class to find Stephen.

Because Stephen had been approached by some loan sharks, and he needed to protect her.

I couldn’t stand to let him go alone, so I followed him.

The loan sharks were big and strong, and they quickly knocked Vito to the ground.

But they were still not satisfied and decided to run him over with a car.

In a split second, I pushed him aside, but my legs got caught under the car.

When I woke up, Vito was crying uncontrollably, gasping for air.

He hugged me, swearing he would love me for a lifetime and take good care of me.

The eighteen-year-old boy’s tears were so intense, burning my skin like fire.

I believed him.

After that, he seemed to change completely.

He started studying seriously, stopped hanging out with those friends.

Other than studying, he spent all his time taking care of me.

Because he had fallen behind in his studies, he didn’t do well in exams.

So he decided to repeat a year, and eventually got into a prestigious university.

My parents gradually accepted him.

My dad personally taught him how to manage the company, introducing him to important contacts.

When he graduated, my dad handed over both me and the company to him.

A year later, my parents passed away in a car accident.

I cried my heart out.

Vito hugged me and said, “It’s okay, Anja, you still have me.”

Since then, I relied on him more and more.

He continued to care for me with unwavering attention.

But ever since Stephen came back, everything started to quietly change…

The phone screen kept flashing.

The young man on the other side was still relentlessly professing his love for me.

I was beyond frustrated and angrily replied:

【Shut up, whatever you do, you have nothing to do with me.】

He immediately replied:

【Why? At least tell me where I went wrong? Not long ago, you said you were infatuated with me. How could you suddenly…】

【Get lost, stay away from me.】

After sending the last message, I was so agitated that I accidentally fell off my wheelchair.

Just as I fell, Vito entered the room.

He looked down at me, as if I were the most disgusting thing in the world.

I broke down and yelled at him in fury.

But he just stood there, coldly watching me.

When I was exhausted from yelling, he finally noticed the phone lying on the bed.

A brief flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, but then he smiled, as if letting go of the situation.

“Anja, don’t worry. The wedding will go ahead as planned. I promised I would take care of you for the rest of your life.”