Chapter 2

On the drive home, Bianca's newest post came up in my feed.

An entire hotel suite carpeted in Juliet roses.

【An early birthday gift.】

Seven years ago, on Valentine's, Lucas and I walked past a flower shop.

Nearly every girl on the street had a bouquet in her arms, and he didn't have the money for even one stem.

His eyes went red as he promised me: "Once I have money, I'll make up for every flower you ever missed."

I didn't want him to feel bad, so I made myself smile and said I didn't like flowers anyway.

Later he really did have money.

And that lie I'd told to protect his pride, he remembered it for seven whole years.

He never once bought me a bouquet.

Yet he spent over two hundred thousand filling an entire suite with Juliet roses for Bianca.

Lucas caught the photo on my phone, and his expression turned a little uneasy.

"It's her birthday. It's just flowers."

"You don't like flowers, do you?"

I looked at him, and suddenly I laughed.

"Right. I don't."

So he would never know.

Seven years ago, when I said those words, I actually envied those girls so much that I snuck three looks back over my shoulder.

Bianca's call came in right then.

She whined that the zipper on her party dress had broken, and asked when he was coming.

Lucas barely hesitated. He turned the car straight around.

At some point rain had started falling outside.

It came down harder and harder, the tires cutting through standing water, throwing up a white haze of spray.

Halfway there, Lucas pulled over and called an Uber for me.

"Bianca's place and home are in opposite directions."

"The driver's six minutes out. Just wait here a bit."

I looked at the rain pouring down outside the window.

"Can you take me home first?"

"I'm not feeling well."

Lucas frowned and checked the time.

"All of Bianca's guests have arrived. She can't get her dress on. How is the party supposed to start?"

"You're just worn out from the checkup. Go home, sleep it off, you'll be fine."

As he spoke, he draped his coat over my shoulders and pushed the umbrella into my hand.

"Text me when you get home."

Looking after me had been his habit for ten years.

It was just that this care always came second to how much he favored Bianca.

The moment I stepped out of the car, he stomped on the gas.

The car vanished into the rain in seconds.

The next second, the ride-share app flashed an alert.

【The driver has canceled the order.】

I booked another.

Over half an hour, more than a dozen drivers canceled one after another.

Then my phone buzzed.

Bianca had posted again.

In the video, Lucas was half-kneeling behind her, head bowed as he fixed the zipper on her dress.

The guests crowded around, egging them on:

"One phone call and she can summon Mr. Harding himself. Bianca really has him wrapped around her finger."

Bianca laughed behind her hand.

"He promised. He'd never miss a single one of my birthdays."

"And it's perfect timing. I have some good news to announce."

"I'm carrying Lucas's baby. Three months along already."

At the end of the clip, Lucas pulled Bianca into his arms, overjoyed, and the two of them kissed, deep and tender.

Everyone was applauding.

And I, carrying his child, stood two kilometers away in the downpour, unable to get a single car to take me home.