Five Years Wasted Now They Beg Her Back novel Chapter 145

Dorian held his fork, but he didn’t take another bite.

The exquisite food before him seemed to have lost all its flavor.

His mind was a whirlwind of emotions: relief, confusion, and above all, an overwhelming sense of shame and guilt in the face of Grace and Damien.

The crystal chandelier in the dining room cast a warm glow, but after a brief moment of warmth, the atmosphere settled back into a subtle quiet.

Damien cut his foie gras with elegant, refined movements.

As if making small talk, he glanced up at Dorian casually.

"Dorian, you really are different from those two."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a piercing, all-knowing quality.

Dorian stiffened and gave a bitter smile, unsure how to respond.

Damien continued, "I recall you went to study abroad very early on. You didn't spend much time with Grace."

Dorian nodded. "Yes, I left during my sophomore year of high school. I was only in the same school as Grace… for one semester."

"One semester was enough."

Damien set down his silverware, picked up his wine glass, and gently swirled the deep red liquid inside.

Through the glass, his gaze fell on Grace's slightly puzzled face, his eyes filled with an undeniable tenderness.

"Grace's personality hasn't changed since she was a child. She looks cold, but she has the softest heart."

His tone shifted as he looked at Dorian.

"In high school, didn't she protect a classmate whose family had gone bankrupt and was being bullied by everyone?"

Grace, who had been sipping her soup, paused.

In her memory, Damien was at the pinnacle of the social elite, a god who had descended from the heavens to pull her from the mire when she was at her lowest.

That part of her high school memory was bleak and distant, with no connection to the brilliant man sitting before her now.

Grace thought he had long forgotten…

Lilian, however, loved to take her group of friends to provoke the silent boy.

She used all sorts of vicious words to trample on what little dignity he had left.

On several occasions, it was Grace who had stood up for him.

At that time, Grace was also an outcast in the Hart family, thin and small, like a reed that could be blown over by the wind.

But when she stood in front of that boy, her back was ramrod straight.

Dorian still remembered one time when Lilian’s insults became too vile. Grace had splashed a glass of water in her face and said coldly, "You say one more word, and I'll shut that mouth of yours."

That was the first time Grace had shown her tougher side.

Lilian had thrown a tantrum on the spot, and then ran home to tattle.

That night, Lucian beat Grace half to death.

Dorian had seen it all.