Chapter 75 His Past & Trauma
Quinn's POV
"Be careful, the bread is still hot," said Grayson. His hand stopped mine from arranging the sandwich.
I deliberately moved the plastic gloves I was wearing. "I'm wearing protection."
"Right, but still be careful."
Even though I was still upset with Grayson, I knew better than to just sit there while he was busy preparing food for us. So even though I answered, I answered curtly. The point was that Grayson had to know that trust was hard to regain once it had been broken. And I wanted him to learn from his mistake.
"Do you have a peanut allergy or not?" I asked.
Grayson glanced at me. "No. But can I have two portions?"
Without answering, I made a new sandwich. I understood that athletes needed large portions, so there was no need to confirm it.
While making the second sandwich, I glanced at his hands, which were moving around aimlessly. I didn't know if he was confused or if there was another reason.
"Thanks for helping me," he said.
I just mumbled and continued what I was doing.
Actually, I wasn't used to hearing him say sorry and thank you, because it wasn't like his usual cold and sassy self. But on the other hand, I was also glad that he realized those two words were basic things that he had to say when he made a mistake and received something.
"I wanna talk. You don't have to respond, just listen." This time he was busy moving the vegetables around in the plastic bag.
Now I think I know why Grayson's hands couldn't stop moving. He seemed nervous. Yeah, no matter how many times I thought about it, that was the only conclusion I could come to.
He added cheese to my sandwich. "Actually, the reason I play ice hockey and want to be a successful athlete is because I want to fulfill someone's wish."
My hands, which had been busy, now stopped completely. I even turned my head because I was so surprised to hear his confession. I mean, this was the first time he had talked about himself, and I thought he would talk about someone else or about his game.
"That someone is my twin brother, Gerry Wyatt Talon. You may not know this, but now you will know that I was born a twin. Well, even though we were born only a few minutes apart, I became the second child."
Oh my gosh, I wasn't ready to accept this fact.
Grayson, a twin? I couldn't imagine it.
One Grayson was enough to drive the world crazy, let alone two. Two alphas with extraordinary genes. This country would never have a moment's peace. The S-T Arena would surely be filled with fans. Their combined fan base would probably be as large as a country, or even larger.
Although I was amazed by Grayson's confession, I didn't want to show it. I kept a straight face.
"You may be wondering where my twin brother is now. Unfortunately, I can't introduce him to you because he left me and my family forever several decades ago."
This time, I couldn't pretend that I didn't care anymore. I put down everything in my hands and leaned toward him.
Even though I hadn't said anything, I think Grayson now knew that his story had shocked me.
"He died when he was a child while training. He suffered severe injuries and couldn't be saved. We had to let go of his dream of becoming a famous ice hockey player. Not wanting his death to be in vain, I decided to continue his dream."
This time I opened my mouth. "Didn't you dream of becoming an ice hockey player since you were little?"
Grayson chuckled softly. "No. I originally wanted to be like my father who ran the company because my parents always told me in the past that my brother couldn't be expected to be the heir because he had other dreams. So I had to take over the company because they had already let my brother pursue his dreams. So I had to make their dreams come true."
I squeezed the apron I was wearing. His story really made my eyes sting.
"I had been practicing since I was little with him, but it was just for fun, I wasn't serious about it. However, after he passed away, I became serious about this sport. I became ambitious and pushed through all the training and competitions until I reached my current position." Grayson then closed the sandwich in his hand with bread. "I dedicate all those victories to Gerry and only then to myself."
Honestly, I didn't expect the truth to be like that. It was like rain on a sunny day, unexpected.
Grayson... I feel so sorry for him. From the beginning, he couldn't even choose his own life and had to live according to his parents' wishes. And when he had finally accepted it and grown to like his parents' dream, he had to give it up and start all over again because he wanted to fulfill the dream of his twin brother who had passed away. Which means... all this time, he had been living with someone else's dream, with someone else's expectations, and only then for himself.
Oh my, I never expected this fierce and cold man to have such a life story.
He really managed to make the public believe that he was a perfect and always happy person who did not harbor deep sorrow. In fact, deep down in his heart, he must have been torn apart.
"But now I love what I do. I don't do it out of obligation anymore. Ten years ago, maybe, but now hockey is an inseparable part of my life. I found my purpose in life through hockey. I'm truly grateful to Gerry for introducing me to this sport, really. I've been able to live this long because of this sport."
I covered my mouth with my arm. "So you're saying you tried to end your life?"
Grayson nodded and smiled slightly. "Yes, many times. But that was in the past, when I was still young and didn't understand the situation."
Oh my gosh, Grayson, I don't know what he's been through to be able to talk about it with a smile and laughter. I'm sure that before he could talk about it so casually, he must have gone through a lot to make his heart as strong as it is now.
I know this is a crazy thought, but I wanted to hug him and pat him on the back, then whisper in his ear that everything was okay now. That now he had succeeded in realizing Gerry's dream and had the right to live for himself and only himself.
Grayson took off his plastic gloves and reached out with his right hand, wiping away the tears that had appeared on my cheeks.
"No one knows this fact except you, Quinn. My parents don't even know that I wasn't originally interested in becoming an athlete. They think I was influenced by Gerry, so I didn't want to continue the company and chose to become an athlete instead. I'm too lazy to explain it to them, so let them believe that's how it is."