I Thought She Was a Replacement

Chapter 2 He's Not Doing Well

Liliana wandered down the street in a daze. Cold rain soaked through her hair and clothes, but she barely seemed to notice.

Then suddenly, her phone lit up with a notification: Hotel reservation confirmed.

She glanced at it absentmindedly.

Then her heart seized. The pain came out of nowhere, sharp and suffocating.

The reservation had been made from her account.

Liliana stared at the screen with a faint, bitter smile.

"He didn't even bother switching accounts..."

Her voice came out as a quiet murmur.

A few months ago, Anthony's app had glitched, so she had logged into her account on his phone to book a hotel for them. And now he was using it to book a room for someone else.

The realization hit her like a knife. Her chest hurt so badly she could barely breathe.

Memories surged up without warning, dragging her back five years.

Back then, Liliana was just a mechanic's daughter. Her family of three depended entirely on her father's small auto repair shop to survive.

He worked long, exhausting hours every day, but no matter how hard he tried, the money still wasn't enough to cover her mother's overwhelming medical bills.

So Liliana took a part-time job at a bar. She needed to earn money for her mother's treatment. She needed to ease the burden on her father.

But beauty often attracted the wrong kind of attention. That night, several drunken men made crude remarks, blocking her path whenever she tried to escape.

Fear clawed its way up her throat. She tried to push past them, but they closed in tighter, cutting off every way out.

And then, Anthony appeared, like someone stepping out of the darkness. His voice was cold with a chilling authority.

"You're giving me a headache."

Within seconds, they scattered, suddenly nervous and respectful. "Sorry, Mr. Hester."

When Anthony stepped closer to Liliana, he leaned down slightly. A faint chill seemed to follow him wherever he went. "Girls shouldn't work in places like this. It's not safe."

Yet beneath the coldness in his tone, Liliana heard kindness.

Anthony gave his assistant a small glance, silently instructing him to escort her back to school.

From that moment on, she couldn't forget this young man.

Summoning every ounce of courage she had, she asked the assistant for Anthony's contact information.

Only later did she learn who he really was, Anthony Hester, the heir to one of Jerelden's most powerful conglomerates, the kind of person ordinary people kept their distance from.

Liliana knew the gap between them was immeasurable.

So even after she added his contact, she never dared to start a conversation.

That day, she sent him only one message: Thank you.

Anthony never replied. She assumed their paths would never cross again.

Until one cold, rainy night, Anthony was drunk.

Out of nowhere, the bar owner called Liliana.

"Your number is the last contact on his phone," the man said. "Could you come pick him up? He's not doing well."

Liliana didn't even stop to think. She rushed to the bar immediately.

That was the first time she saw the usually cold and composed Anthony break down completely.

He drank endlessly. Then he threw up. Then he drank again. Liliana panicked. Her heart ached for him in a way she couldn't even explain.

She helped him up, but she had no idea where to take him.

In the end, she brought him to a nearby upscale hotel.

She even used half a month of her part-time wages just to book him a comfortable room.

That night, she clumsily helped clean him up, planning to leave once he had fallen asleep. But just as she turned, Anthony grabbed her wrist.

Before she could react, kisses, warm and heavy with the scent of alcohol, fell against her neck.

Liliana had never been in a relationship before.

She had never faced anything like this. And she had already developed feelings for him. When Anthony pulled her closer, she weakly tried to resist, but the protest barely held any strength.

Anthony looked at her, his gaze burning. His breath was hot against her ear.

"What?" he murmured. "You don't like me?"

Liliana stared at him, at those mesmerizing eyes that seemed impossible to escape from.

Something in her heart gave in. She shook her head.

"No! I like you."

'Very much...'

After that, Anthony's restraint vanished.

His hands explored her trembling body with growing urgency.

And that night, Liliana gave him her first time.

After that, their relationship continued.

They did everything couples normally did.

They ate together, went to movies, held each other, kissed, and spent nights tangled in each other's arms.

But now that she realized something strange. Anthony had never once truly given her a title for what they were.

She had naïvely believed that their love didn't need that.

But she had been wrong.

Because in Anthony's heart,

There had never been a place for Liliana at all.

The rain grew heavier. Cold drops lashed against her face.

But no matter how hard the rain fell, it couldn't wash away the chill spreading through her heart.