"Grace, your clothes are so worn out they're pilling. You should really toss them!"
A classmate who worked part-time with Grace Howard couldn't help but comment.
Grace was notoriously frugal, wearing $1 market stall clothes for years without replacing them, even when they were faded.
Grace smiled. "They're not torn yet, so it'd be a shame to throw them away. I'll head out now, see you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow!"
After she left, the others couldn't resist talking about her.
"She wins the top scholarship every year and works multiple jobs, earning quite a bit. Why is she so thrifty?"
"She spends it all on her boyfriend, that's why she's struggling," one informed insider revealed.
"What?" Everyone perked up instantly.
"He's a pretty boy who hangs out in nightclubs, using his looks to mingle with rich women. He claims to be a singer, but he's more like a gigolo. Many people know, but she's completely in the dark."
When her paycheck came in, Grace eagerly ordered an expensive pair of sneakers.
William Stewart had wanted these shoes for a long time, and she finally saved enough to buy them as a birthday gift for him.
Just as Grace was happily imagining William's surprised expression, her phone suddenly vibrated.
It was a message from her roommate.
"I just saw your boyfriend hugging some girl, and they went into room 601 together..."
The location was the bar where William Stewart worked.
Grace Howard's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned her car around.
Once she entered the bar, her steps were unsteady as she approached the door of room 601, but she couldn't muster the courage to barge in.
The door was slightly ajar, with light spilling out into the dim hallway. Inside, William and the alluring woman were oblivious to Grace's presence, continuing their flirtatious banter.
"I heard you have a girlfriend studying at the nearby university?" the woman giggled.
"What girlfriend? I haven't even touched her. She's just a dumb, plain maid who cooks and cleans, thinking she's doing me a favor," William replied lazily.
Maid?!
Grace felt like she'd been struck by lightning, unable to move. But the next words hit her even harder.
"Wow, that's harsh. If she heard you say that, she'd be heartbroken."
"You're overthinking it. No matter how I treat her, she'll always come crawling back like a dog, and I can't get rid of her even if I tried..."
Grace's blood boiled as she burst through the door. "William Stewart, you've gone too far!"
Her whole body trembled, and even her voice shook with anger.
The two people in the room were startled. When they saw who it was, William Stewart paused for a moment, frowning. "What are you doing here?"
Grace Howard was so furious that her words stumbled over themselves, tears streaming down her face. "You... you have the nerve to ask me that? What you just said... was that even human? I've given you everything, and you..."
William shrugged. "Could you take this outside, ma'am? You're interrupting my time with this lovely lady, thanks."
With that, he continued to flirt and laugh with the seductive woman, completely ignoring Grace, even going so far as to kiss the woman's red lips.
William's humiliating actions shattered something inside Grace.
Her mind went blank, her hands and feet turned cold, as she watched the chaotic scene unfold.
The usually gentle and forgiving Grace felt her gaze harden.
She picked up a bottle of wine and slowly walked over to William.
William noticed her approaching out of the corner of his eye and was surprised. Before he could react, everything went black...