Chapter 1We Parted When The Bellflowers Bloomed

Five years after I altered my face and faked my death, Nolan walked into my flower shop.

"A bouquet of white bellflowers, please. Pack them carefully. My late wife was very particular about these things."

My hand froze in the middle of trimming a stem. Only then did it strike me, with a dull, echoing ache, that today was the anniversary of my death.

White bellflowers. Their language was hopeless love.

Once, he had despised these pale, muted blossoms. During our worst arguments, he had even mocked me, saying I was just like them: bland, uninteresting, and entirely lacking the vibrant warmth of Yvonne.

And now, he was buying them to mourn me.

As he turned to leave, a small voice called out from the back room.

"Mommy, I'm hungry."

Andy toddled out, rubbing his sleepy eyes. The moment Nolan's gaze fell on the boy's face, his pupils shrank. The child looked almost exactly like him.

The memory of Yvonne's threats from five years ago flashed vividly in my mind. Instinctively, I pulled Andy behind my back, shielding him from Nolan's intense stare.

"The boy was born without a father, sir. He is very timid. Please don't frighten him."

It wasn't a lie. The Nolan I had once loved was long dead.

Nolan clearly did not believe me. His eyes searched my face, burning with a desperate curiosity.

I lowered my head, avoiding his gaze. Seeing my reflection in the dark glass of the counter, I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. I had a completely different face now. There was no way he could recognize me.

But Andy was a different story.

Ignoring my protest, Nolan knelt in front of the boy, gently taking his small hand. His voice trembled with an urgency he couldn't hide. "How old are you, little guy?"

I quickly pulled my son back, offering a polite, practiced smile to mask my rising panic. "He is the child of my late husband. My husband had terrible luck, passing away just days after the boy was born."

Nolan froze. The light in his eyes flickered, caught between devastating disappointment and lingering doubt.

Before he could press further, the shop door chimed.

"Nolan, what is taking you so long?"

Yvonne stepped into the shop, sliding her hand intimately through Nolan's arm. But the moment her eyes drifted to my face, her expression hardened.

Unlike Nolan, Yvonne knew exactly what I looked like after the reconstructive surgery. Remembering the terrifying promises she had made to me five years ago, my heart skipped a beat.

Nolan didn't seem to notice her tension. He subtly took a half-step back, creating a polite distance between himself and me, though his eyes remained glued to Andy.

"The wind is strong outside," Nolan said softly to Yvonne. "Why didn't you wait in the car?"

"I was too impatient," she cooed, leaning closer to him. "I wanted to accompany you to see my sister. Even though today is the anniversary of her passing, it is also the final day of our five-year pact."

She looked up at him, her eyes bright and filled with tears, but I could hear the sharp, mocking triumph beneath her sweet tone.

"You promised me back then that once she was gone for five years, you would marry me. Surely you haven't forgotten? Besides, we have already been living as husband and wife for years."

She gently pressed her hand against her stomach, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"The entire high society of Port Vista is waiting for our wedding. Not to mention, the little one in my belly cannot wait much longer."

I felt a quiet jolt of surprise. Five years had passed, and they still hadn't married?

The air in the small shop grew suffocatingly still.

Only when Yvonne's smile began to fray did Nolan finally speak, his voice thick and raspy. "I haven't forgotten."

He pulled two hundred-dollar bills from his wallet and laid them on the counter. "My apologies. I lost my composure earlier. You may keep the change. Your bellflowers are beautiful."

He swallowed hard. "My... my late wife would have loved them."

With those words, he took the bouquet and guided Yvonne out of the shop.

My eyes drifted to his hand. When we used to walk together, he would always use his thumb to gently rub the back of my hand. It was a soft, comforting habit that used to make my heart race.

Nolan, do you share those same quiet habits with Yvonne now?

Just as the door swung open, Yvonne paused and looked back. She cast a chilling, warning glare in my direction, her eyes lingering with venom on Andy.

Once the door clicked shut, the shop returned to silence.

The strength drained from my legs, and I collapsed into my chair, pulling Andy tightly against my chest. Looking at the crisp bills on the counter, a bitter, hollow smile touched my lips.

I understood her warning perfectly. It was time for me to move to another city.