One Day, My Fiancé Brought His First Love Along - Chapter 90

How long had it been since I cried like this?

When I was very young, there was a time I would desperately snatch up a half-eaten piece of bread someone had thrown on the filthy street just to survive.

Back then, my heart hadn’t fully hardened. I was still fragile enough to be wounded by people’s words.
That day… was the day when the young Carlisle tore away the last soft piece of his heart.

–Look at that kid. He used to crawl around like a maggot, and now he’s eating garbage off the street.
–That kid’s famous. Always starving, because no one feeds him. He’s even been abandoned by beggars. Heard he never complains when you give him something—just takes it quietly.
–Someone said you can buy a cheap loaf of bread and make him come running if you’re mad.
–Really? Maybe I’ll try it today. I’m already pissed off from reading hate comments all morning. Lucky me, there’s bread lying around. It’s like a divine sign.
–That kid would rather eat mud-covered bread than respond to people.

Carlisle, still a child, couldn’t hear the men’s conversation. His empty stomach, hollow from days of starvation, ached and growled.

Two teenage boys cautiously approached him, afraid he might run before they said anything.

–Hey.

Carlisle, chewing the last piece of stale bread, looked up at the long shadow falling over him.

The boy who had been mocking him earlier stood there, holding out a freshly baked loaf of bread as if offering it.

–Do you want this?

Carlisle didn’t even pause to wipe the crumbs from his mouth. He nodded furiously, eyes wide. Then let’s just hit you a few times. If you hold out a little longer, I’ll give you some.

No matter how hungry I was, no one had ever given me food just for saying hello.

Carlisle hesitated for a long moment—but then slowly nodded. He didn’t know how long he’d survive if he missed this chance.

Among the slum kids, Carlisle was the only one who wandered alone without family.

Most had siblings. They took turns begging and stealing to make it through the day. Some had relatives who helped when they were sick. Carlisle had none of that.

He was eventually cast out of his group—because he refused to steal. He wouldn’t touch someone else’s money.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to steal. I chose to scavenge scraps off the street just to endure the hunger.

Almost none of the townspeople knew what I was going through. And even if they did, they didn’t care. To them, we were filthy kids who stole and made their clean streets dirty.

Carlisle had almost no way to survive.

Despite everything, he still believed something good would happen someday. That maybe… someone would be kind.

So, when the boy offered to hit him in exchange for bread, he didn’t really believe it.
I thought he’d pretend. Just hit me lightly. Just scare me.

But it wasn’t pretend.

It was too easy for them.

The boy sneered as young Carlisle nodded—and then let out a laugh full of wicked delight.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Carlisle was knocked over again and again.

Though it was a narrow alley, plenty of people passed by. Most of them saw what was happening.

Not one person stepped in.

Not one voice cried out for it to stop.

I had been kicked out by other kids, stared at like trash, hurt more times than I could count.

But that moment—when no one stepped in to stop it—
That was the first time I felt tens of thousands of knives stabbing straight into my heart.

That moment shattered the last bit of faith I had in humanity.

From that day on, Carlisle completely closed off his heart. He stopped trusting others and adopted a blunt, detached demeanor.

I never stole anything, but I made up my mind to live differently from that point on.

No one would ever take him seriously. He had to rely only on himself.

So, from then on, Carlisle let no one into his world. He didn’t try to make friends.
Instead, he poured himself into training—swinging his sword like his life depended on it, believing that strength was the only thing he could control.

He was the only orphaned commoner in a world ruled by wealthy nobles. Even at the academy, he was alone. No one approached him—not because they hated him, but because of the walls he built and the silent distance his background created.

Then, I met Aireen.

Aireen was the only one.

She was the first to approach him, the first to speak. She didn’t mock his awkwardness or blunt words.
She listened, understood, and responded kindly—even when he stumbled in conversation.

She only looked at him.

How could anyone not fall for that?

The truth was, Carlisle already knew who Aireen was before she ever spoke to him.

All he had was his swordsmanship. That was the only thing he could offer—and the only thing he cared about. At the academy, sword skills were the only way he could exist.

He had no choice but to observe those with talent.

Aireen Revart.
The only daughter of a noble ducal family renowned for their swordsmanship.

She was famous. Her swordplay was mesmerizing—so beautiful that even Carlisle, who rarely remembered anything fondly, couldn’t forget the way she moved.

While Aireen was always surrounded by people, admired and adored wherever she went, Carlisle stood in the shadows.

I never imagined I’d get the chance to talk to someone like Aireen.

If she ever showed interest in him, it was probably just a passing joke—some sarcastic remark, like other nobles liked to toss around.

–I saw you using a sword. It looked amazing. I think you’re even better than my brother.
–Does this look right? Tell me if it’s off—I trust your eye.
–I think it’d be perfect if you angled it just a little more. What do you think?

I didn’t know how to respond. I was flustered every time she smiled at me. Not just once—but again and again.

At first, I didn’t fully trust Aireen.
But little by little—like rain soaking through cloth—she seeped into me. And soon, Carlisle was drenched.

Aireen had entered his world.
And before long—she became his entire world.

When he found out she had quietly taken a risk for his sake, Carlisle—who had already been completely dyed in the vivid color that was Aireen—knew he could never turn back.

–You’re not even worth standing next to Carlisle.
You’re just petty and jealous. Do something like that behind his back one more time, and you’ll pay for it.

It was salvation.

Aireen—who stepped in for him when no one else dared to look his way.
His light. His warmth. His salvation.

She had a wild, fierce side that she tried to keep hidden.
But Carlisle loved that part of her too.

He never saw her as a shield.
He saw her heart.
The heart that loved him first.
And from that heart, emotions overflowed—filling him with something he’d never dared to feel before.

His only companion. His reason. His anchor.

Even though I’d lived through all those dazzling moments, I was too blind to see what they meant.
I didn’t realize it was love.
And because of that, Irene suffered.

I thought it was just gratitude. A way to thank a friend who thought of me.
And so I tried to repay her as just that—a friend.

In the end, it was Aireen who made him realize everything he’d missed— Joy. Gratitude. Happiness.
Satisfaction. Fulfillment. Love.

I also learned from Aireen that not all pain is physical.
Some hurts come in the form of betrayal, ridicule, laughter.
And others—more quietly—take the shape of sadness, sorrow, regret… or even the softest kind of ache.

I had hurt the one person who saved me.
And now… I could lose her forever.

Carlisle gasped, his chest tight with emotion. He could still hear Aireen’s pained cries ringing in his ears.

It was unbearable.

Why did I hurt her?
Why did I send her into that hell?

Because he was afraid.

Afraid that being close to him would shorten her life.
Afraid that he might cause her unnecessary pain.
Afraid that his survival would come at the cost of hers.

A life saved by sacrificing Aireen’s.

He’d been terrified that even if he refused, Aireen would only smile and say it didn’t matter.
That she would come to him anyway—and look him in the eye.

Even if Aireen didn’t accept his plea… even if she drew closer to him…
He feared that she’d start to feel guilty. That eventually, she would begin to hate herself.

He couldn’t blame her if she never touched him again.
She had every reason to turn away—and the strength to do it.

There was no right answer.
Neither path would protect her.
So Carlisle made the only choice he could—

He let her go first.

He didn’t know how long it would take to break the curse.
He didn’t even know if it could be broken at all.
But what he did know… was that as long as she was near him, she was in danger.

So, he had to stay away.

Even if Aireen found out the truth much later…
Even if she hated him for it.
Even if she forgot him completely— If she could live a long, peaceful life… if she could smile next to someone else…

Then Carlisle would accept it.

Because that would be enough.

But now… Looking back.

It might have been the worst decision he ever made.

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