My ex-boyfriend ordered 99 roses from my shop.

I personally delivered them to his doorstep.

Ethan Shaw seemed just as surprised to see me as I was to be there. His expression shifted in an instant—from joy to outright disdain.

I fought back the tears, forcing a bright smile.

"Sir, your roses are here. If you're satisfied, please leave a five-star review."

I never imagined I’d see Ethan Shaw again, and certainly not like this.

The roses he was sending to his girlfriend were delivered by me.

How unlucky...

Ethan stood there, scowling, his thumb absently rubbing the second joint of his index finger as he clenched and unclenched his fist.

It was a sign of his irritation.

I held the massive bouquet, my smile starting to feel like it might crack, but he didn’t seem eager to take them. His eyes were sharp and cold, like they could cut me in half.

Yeah, I get it—there’s no way he’d be in a good mood, running into his ex before his date.

Suppressing the bitterness welling up in me, I knew he didn’t want to see me. I tried to explain, "Leo’s not here, so I brought them. I didn’t know it was you..."

The order had simply said it was for his girlfriend, and to wrap it nicely. The name on the receipt was Mr. Shaw, not Ethan.

I didn’t know.

When did Ethan even come to Arden City?

He should still be in Mirewood City.

He didn’t take the flowers. Instead, he just stood there across from me, his arms crossed, wearing a navy-blue shirt that made him seem even colder.

I suddenly remembered something from a year ago when I’d playfully coaxed him, "Try blue, Ethan. You look amazing in blue, so handsome."

He’d responded, "No way. It’s too soft. Not manly enough."

Yet, for the next month, he wore blue almost every day, always asking me to compliment him as the "most handsome guy in the universe."

Now, here he was again, in blue, but his eyes were icy, his demeanor sharp. Every tiny habit of his seemed to wound me all over again.

He hated me.

"Lily," he spoke, his voice cutting through the silence. "Do you think it's alright for a rose meant for a girlfriend to have passed through the hands of an ex...?"

"Don’t you think it’s dirty?"

In all my time with Ethan, I’d never heard him speak to me like this.

Cold, full of venom.

That moment, a chill spread from my toes to the rest of my body, and it felt like my mind had been hit with a thunderbolt, leaving me speechless.

What should I say?

Sorry?

Or admit it’s dirty?

No matter what I chose, I couldn’t bring myself to say either in front of him.

His gaze was intense, like it could burn a hole right through me.

He was waiting for an answer.

I pulled at the corner of my mouth, forcing a smile that I hoped looked natural.

Having worked as a preschool teacher, I was used to keeping my composure.

"Yeah, it’s pretty unlucky. I’ll call Mandy right now and have her send a new bouquet over."

Before I could finish, there was a loud bang, followed by the rush of wind across my face as Ethan slammed the door shut.

Then, an eerie silence.

Forget it. There was no point. He wouldn’t want them anyway.

I dropped the flowers and headed back to the shop, issuing a refund with a single click. Arden City was big enough that I’d probably never see him again.

Ethan would be going back to Mirewood City.

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep once again.

Ethan dropped out of school at a young age, running the family tattoo shop while taking care of his disabled father.

Now, he was in Arden City, but what would happen to Uncle Shaw?

I got up, suddenly craving a bowl of tomato noodles.

In the rising steam, I imagined Ethan’s excited face as he opened the door.

He would have flowers in hand, sidestepping in the corner, then say:

"Baby, don't I look handsome?"

Especially in the summer, when he wore a white T-shirt, his tiger-like tattoos would peek out.

Not bad-looking—just a big, tough tiger with a touch of innocence.

I wondered if his girlfriend had ever traced the curves of that tiger tattoo with her finger, making Ethan itch with the desire to cook her a bowl of tomato noodles in return.

"Lily?"

"Huh?" I snapped back to reality, meeting the tired face of Miss Mandy.

Mandy was my boss, my benefactor, and also my landlady.

When I came out of kindergarten, it was she who took me in.

Her face showed concern. "Another nightmare? What are you doing up so early..."

"No," I sniffed, lowering my head and taking a bite of noodles, muttering, "I just woke up hungry..."

I served Mandy a bowl of noodles, and as usual, she quietly sat with me while I ate.

I just felt so hungry, like I couldn’t eat enough no matter how much I had.

Suddenly, in my blurred vision, I saw a glass of water.

I heard Mandy’s gentle voice.

"Lily, the noodles are salty..."

The next morning, I looked at my swollen eyes in the mirror, thankful that Mandy had given me the day off.

I certainly didn’t look fit for work in this state.

I used an iron spoon to ice my eyes for a while, and once the swelling had gone down a bit, I caught a bus to Arden University.

Grace told me she only had an 8 a.m. class, so I timed it carefully and waited for her at the school gate.

But I didn’t expect that she would walk out arm-in-arm with Hannah Shaw.

Ethan’s sister.

And… my sister.

I blinked, thinking I must have seen it wrong.

How could they be together?

Before I could recover from the shock, another storm hit.

"Sister!" It was Uncle King’s voice.

"Sis… sister-in-law?"

Hannah, Grace, and I all exchanged shocked glances.

Under my gaze, Grace quickly pulled her hand away from Hannah’s. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she obediently closed it.

But that questioning look she gave Hannah—something inside me flared up with anger.

I was about to stop Hannah from saying anything outrageous when Ethan’s cold voice cut through the air behind me.

"Hannah, this is your sister-in-law."

What did that feel like?

It was like a thousand hands suddenly reaching out from the earth, grabbing my feet, preventing me from moving even an inch.

A heavy stone seemed to press down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

My hand, holding my bag, trembled slightly.

Ethan's girlfriend was right behind me, just one turn away.

But I didn’t dare to turn around.

He seemed to be very close, and after a few footsteps, a figure in white and blue appeared beside me.

The girl had shiny black hair, with two braids pinned at the back of her head, tied with a bright red silk ribbon in a bow. Her big eyes were full of life and energy.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the braids were slightly messy.

It looked like someone who wasn’t very practiced at braiding.

Ethan helped her with her bag, his eyes full of tenderness.

He used to look at me the same way.

I should be happy for him, happy that he found someone who is a good match for him.

Isn’t this what I always wanted?

But the bitterness in my heart weighed down on me, making it hard to breathe.

“Grace, I’m going to the bathroom.”

I almost fled, the mirror reflecting my red eyes, already showing signs of swelling.

If I go out now, it’ll be such an embarrassment.

After calming myself down, I was about to leave, but I unexpectedly saw Ethan again.

He was standing under a tree, holding a leaf and flipping it in his hand, right by the path I had to take.

He sneered, "Lily, are you sneaking off again?"

"Just a friend of my sister’s, why are you being so petty?"

I didn’t want to engage with him, especially now that he had a girlfriend.

People should know how to avoid awkwardness.

I didn’t respond to him and continued walking outside.

Ethan grabbed my wrist with enough force that it hurt. He pushed me against the tree trunk. Instinctively, I could tell that he was very angry.

I didn’t understand what he was angry about.

We had broken up a year ago, and he had already found someone new.

"Ethan, watch your manners," I said, trying to remind him.

Getting tangled up with an ex is never a good thing, especially if it’s seen by others.

"Watch my manners? What manners?"

I said, "You’re with someone now."

Ethan let out a cold laugh. "Oh, we broke up."

I widened my eyes, not understanding how he could say something like that.

He had just introduced me to Hannah, and now he was casually saying they broke up.

"Ethan, don’t be ridiculous."

"Ridiculous? What’s ridiculous?" Ethan leaned down, his warm breath brushing against my face as he softly spoke, "If it’s not working out, we break up."

"Isn’t that right, Lily?"

My heart jolted, coldness spreading from my head to my feet.

So, what does Ethan want to do?

I stood there, staring at the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, unable to make a sound.

"Rather than you sending a text saying we’re not a match, don’t you think it’s more considerate for me to say it to your face?"

Ethan was still smiling, but there was no warmth in his eyes. I was trapped in his shadow, every breath feeling like it was being squeezed out of me.

Now I understood what he was angry about.

Because we broke up, I sent that text saying we weren’t suited for each other, then came Arden City.

If I had told him face-to-face, with his stubborn personality, he definitely would’ve pressed me for answers and wouldn’t have let me leave.

But isn’t it just that we weren’t a good match? What else is there to discuss?

Ethan gripped my chin, questioning me, "Lily, the day before we were sweetly dating, and the next day you just disappear with a text saying we weren’t a match."

"Don’t you think that’s absurd?"

His voice was icy, each word sending a chill down my spine. I avoided his sharp gaze, remaining silent.

"Lily, speak!" He nearly shouted, veins bulging on the back of his hand. His outburst startled me, and I couldn’t help but let tears spill from my eyes.

Great, now I had lost my voice.

My throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to breathe.

Tears kept streaming down uncontrollably.

I really hated this. I didn’t want to cry at this moment, but I just couldn’t stop…

Ethan froze for a moment before quickly releasing me. In a panic, he tried to wipe my face with his sleeve.

It felt like he was rubbing my skin off.

"It hurts... Ethan," I grabbed his hand and pushed him away with all my strength.

"Oh, let me hurt you then, since you never learn."

Afterward, he dragged me back to his house.