Paying To Buy My Pain - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Years of experience in the cutthroat world of business had taught Amanda's parents not to trust easily, and something about Barrett simply did not sit right with them.

But the more they tried to stop Amanda, the more fiercely she threw herself into the relationship.

She convinced herself that her parents disapproved of Barrett simply because he was poor, because his family was not on the same social level as theirs, and because they believed he was unworthy of their daughter.

And the more she thought that way, the more determined she became to love Barrett and sacrifice everything for him.

Despite her parents' objections, Amanda continued seeing Barrett.

Afraid of hurting the man she loved, she did everything she could to hide the fact that her family was against their relationship.

Barrett, however, remained remarkably calm.

He constantly reassured Amanda and urged her not to argue with her parents, explaining that doing so would only make them dislike him even more.

“Give them time,” he told her. “Eventually, they'll understand what kind of person I really am.”

Those words only made Amanda fall even deeper for him.

To her, Barrett was a mature, thoughtful, and decent man—exactly the kind of man she had always dreamed of loving.

Nearly a year passed, and Barrett continued to hold on to their relationship in secret.

The longer they were together, the more frustrated Amanda became with her parents' opposition.

To her, Barrett was the kind of man one could search the whole world for and never find.

They had been together for nearly a year, yet he had never once complained or blamed her. He was always gentle and affectionate, and he had never pressured her for intimacy.

Being with him made Amanda feel unbelievably happy.

When her parents discovered that she was still seeing Barrett, they tried even harder to put an end to the relationship.

Frustrated and angry, Amanda moved out of her parents' house. She wanted to prove that she was old enough to make her own decisions and brave enough to fight for the love she believed in.

She rented a small, cozy house and imagined how happy Barrett would be when he learned that she had finally taken such a bold step to protect their relationship.

But she was wrong.

The moment Barrett heard what she had done over the phone, he came to see her and insisted that she return home.

“You can't do this,” he told her firmly. “If you move out because of me, your parents will think I put you up to it. What will they think of me? They'll never have a good impression of me after this. If you truly love me, then go home.”

With no other choice, Amanda returned home.

Deep inside, she made a vow to herself: she would never love another man for the rest of her life.

Their relationship continued in secret, hidden from her family.

Barrett still comforted her whenever she worried.

“You don't need to worry about me,” he would say. “I don't feel like I've lost anything. Being loved by you is already enough to make me happy. I have nothing to regret.”