Chapter 72

I knew those shoes. They were Henry Smith’s favorites. Four years ago, when I was cleaning them for him, I accidentally got polish on the laces. Couldn't get it off no matter what. In the end, I replaced them with a pair of my own black ones. Surprisingly, that brown and black combo looked pretty good. And Henry never bothered to switch them back. For someone of his status to hang on to an old pair of shoes for years… I never took him for the sentimental type. It threw me off for a second. William had no chance against Henry and was already down, face pressed to the floor, but still had the audacity to act superior. "Henry Smith, you're hitting me over a woman? Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Old Man Clark and ruin your engagement with Vera?" Even though seeing Henry show up gave me a glimmer of hope in what felt like a total dead-end moment—that threat from William still made me shiver. After Henry confessed his feelings at that last event and I turned him down, he never came to see me in