It had been seven years since my divorce from Aiden Sanders when we ran into each other by chance at a flower shop.

He was there to buy flowers for his pregnant wife, while I had only stepped in to take shelter from the rain.

After a moment of awkwardness, we greeted each other.

Aiden politely asked me how I had been doing over the years and I politely replied that everything was fine.

As we were about to part, he suddenly said, "Nina, you seem … a little different from before."

I smiled but didn't answer.

Actually, nothing was different. I just ... no longer loved him.

——

A damp breeze blew in through the crack in the door. The only sound left in the room was the rain hitting the windowpane.

This awkward silence finally broke when the shopkeeper emerged with a bouquet of irises.

"Mr. Sanders, you and your wife have such a wonderful relationship. Even on rainy days, you remember to come buy flowers for her."

Aiden took the flowers and instinctively glanced at me. As was his habit, he immediately explained, "Eryn's been quite moody during her pregnancy. I thought these flowers might cheer her up."

I nodded and responded with a few polite compliments.

Seeing the rain gradually come to a stop, I picked up my bag and prepared to leave.

As I reached the door, Aiden suddenly grabbed my hand. "Where do you live? Let me walk you home."

"No need," I said, taking a few steps back to keep my distance from him. "I'm afraid your wife will misunderstand."

I was turning to leave when I thought I heard Aiden say something else, but the howling wind carried his voice away before I could catch it.

Unfortunately, the breakfast I was holding got soaked in the rain. What a waste.

I quickly tossed the ruined breakfast into the trash can.

At that time, the winds blew up my sleeves, revealing the scars from self-harm years ago.

I paused, then suddenly remembered.

This was the seventh year since my divorce from Aiden. It was also the third year since I had truly let him go.

There was none of the sadness I might have imagined, none of the hysteria from right after the divorce. I felt calm, as if looking at a stranger.

The rain had stopped, leaving the sky bright and clear. I pulled my sleeve back down and walked towards the bakery nearby.

Sabrina Sherman, who was helping out at the shop, greeted me with a bright smile. "Nina, you're here! I was tidying up some clutter and found this box. Can you check if you still want it? If not, I'll throw it out to make space for the bread cutting machine."

After brushing the dust off the box, the first thing that caught my eye was Aiden's bold, confident handwriting.

To Nina Jones.

Sabrina immediately became interested. She playfully asked, "Wow, which man gave you this gift? The packaging is so exquisite. It looks like he put a lot of thought into it."

She eagerly looked at the signature at the end, but the moment she recognized the elegant handwriting, she froze in place. Even her voice stammered.

"Aiden Sanders? Do you mean the legendary prodigy with a PhD in physics? That super handsome astrophysics doctor who made it into international journals for discovering a minor planet?"

Sabrina's gaze towards me instantly filled with admiration. "Nina, who exactly are you?"

I opened the gift box and replied calmly, "I'm Aiden's ex-wife."

The one who was paranoid, who acted crazily. The one who was admitted to a psychiatric hospital because of delusions. The ex-wife, whom he considered the disgrace of his life.

Under Sabrina's persistent questioning, I sat down and began to tell her the story of Aiden and me.

When I first met him, he wasn't yet the legendary genius boy.

Everyone in the neighborhood saw Aiden as nothing more than a problematic introvert child with strange behavior.

He had no friends and no family to rely on. His parents were too busy fighting over their divorce, treating him like a ping-pong ball neither wanted.

I could still vividly remember that bone-chilling winter in this city, where Aiden huddled in the stairwell, shivering in nothing but a thin undershirt.

I felt sorry for him and brought him home.

Not long after, while playing a simple game, my father accidentally discovered his astonishing talent for math.

From that moment on, Aiden was changed.

He won the Math Olympiad at the age of ten and was accepted into the best university without taking any exams at fourteen. By sixteen, his published research was gaining international acclaim and his awards began to pile up.

The same couple who hadn't wanted him were now fighting over custody. Yet he still knelt before my father, pleading with all his heart.

"I know exactly who has been kind to me and who truly loves me," he said. "From today on, you and Mrs. Jones are my real parents. I will definitely take good care of you and Nina."

Thereafter, Aiden strived for success, never once thinking of abandoning me.

When he received his university placement, he insisted that they lower the admission score so that I could attend with him. When he became a professor, he demanded that they create a staff position for a family member.

I worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with his pace, but Aiden looked at me and said, "The year I was eight, my parents divorced. Neither of them wanted me. I sat alone on the stairs from dusk till dawn, until you found me and took me in. From that moment, I swore I would never leave you. Nina, without you, I wouldn't be who I am today. No matter how high I fly, I'll never abandon you."

That's the kind of person he was, exceptionally stubborn. Once he set his mind on something, he never let go.

Whether it was his research, pursuing me, or even when he was cheating on me.

"Cheated?" Hearing that, Sabrina's eyes widened in disbelief. "You two were childhood sweethearts, grew up together, had such a deep relationship and he still cheated?"

"Who's the mistress? Is she a rich heiress or a stunning beauty? Is she one of those scheming, alluring and vicious femme fatales from TV dramas?" she asked exasperatedly.

None of those.

Aiden's mistress was a dark-skinned, thin and plain-looking flower seller.

By that time, Aiden had already achieved remarkable success in his career. He no longer chased fame or fortune. Instead, he poured his energy into personal hobbies.

He wasn't into stocks, fishing, or tea. But he suddenly developed an interest in flowers.

Imported, cheap, common, rare—Aiden collected them all, bringing them all to his little garden.

Among them, his favorite was the iris I gave him on his birthday.

"It was this flower that sparked my interest in flowers all over the world," he once said. "Such an unremarkable little seed, yet with human care, it can bloom into something so beautiful. The whole process is just fascinating."

He said he loved the flowers, but he loved the process of their blooming even more.

In this small world, he was the god who controlled everything. Blooming, withering, fading, blossoming, it was all his to command.

I couldn't understand what Aiden was saying. A flower was just a flower. It bloomed when it wanted, fell when it was time. Why bother with all that?

That was when Eryn Ziegler, who was helping us move the flowers that day, suddenly lifted her head.

"You're right, Professor Sanders. I love this feeling too," Eryn agreed. "The quality of flowers depends entirely on how diligently the gardener cultivates them. Look how well this iris is growing. I've taken such good care of it."

They first met one fall with the irises in full bloom. The flowers were the reason, but I also took part in it.

After that, Aiden started ordering flowers from Eryn regularly. Roses, peonies, magnolias, lilacs …

Our villa was slowly transforming into a sky garden and their relationship grew closer and closer.

Then, one day, Aiden suddenly offered to sponsor Eryn's education. "She's only a teenager, remarkably intelligent and willing to work hard. It would be a pity to let such talent go to waste."

Eryn nervously picked at the thick calluses on her hands. A worried yet almost pleading smile appeared on her dark little face.

She spoke timidly, "Nina, I'll study hard, I promise. I had good grades before. I only dropped out because my mother was in an accident and I had no choice but to support the family. Please, give me this chance. I won't let you down!"

Her young face was etched with fatigue and pain that were unsuited to her age.

Looking at those sincere eyes, I suddenly recalled the image of Aiden sitting helpless and confused in the stairwell when he was eight years old.

Once again, my heart softened.

For a long time after that, I treated Eryn like a younger sister.

I bought her clothes, taught her about skincare and shared wisdom on how to navigate relationships.

She kept calling my name, saying I was the kindest person in the world to her. She even promised that she would repay my kindness if she ever had the chance.

Well, that girl didn't disappoint my expectations—she made it into the university where Aiden and I worked.

The same night she received her acceptance letter, she climbed into Aiden's bed.

I had left work early that day, planning to cook a whole table of dishes to celebrate her achievement. But when I got home, I saw them tangled together. With their clothes half off, their bodies pressed close.

In that moment, I lost my mind.

I threw the cake right onto both of them. Then, I smashed every single flower and plant in the house to pieces.

Aiden shielded Eryn behind him, watching my actions with a cold stare instead.

"Nina, when you're done making a scene, close the door. You have no shame, but Eryn still does," he sneered.

Between her and me, he had chosen the other woman without hesitation.

I couldn't bear any of it and forced Aiden to give me an explanation.

Sadly, he just frowned and said, "Nina, you're still my wife. As long as you behave, Eryn will never threaten your position."

At that same time, Eryn suddenly knelt before me.

"Nina, I know I've wronged you, but Aiden and I truly love each other. We're soulmates who understand each other best in this world. Don't worry, I'll never forget your kindness. I don't want a title, nor will I compete with you. All I ask is to stay by Aiden's side!"

Back then, I was barely in my twenties. It was that age when youth and pride made me intolerant of any injustice.

I sent a letter of report to the university, intent on exposing their disgusting, immoral affair.

However, reality quickly taught me a lesson.

The university would never dismiss Aiden, its most respected professor. Instead, they give me a disciplinary warning to calm him down.

Aiden even made a public statement, asking his fellow professors to "look after" Eryn.