It was an orphanage located in the northern suburbs of Ricardo. It was remote and small in scale. It was merged with the orphanage in the east of the city a few years ago.

A few months ago, Peter helped and reconstructed the place, saying that he wanted to build an orphanage in my name.

In fact, Peter and I spent our childhood together here.

When I first met Peter, two older children from the orphanage were pulling the jade pendant around his neck.

He held it tightly and refused to let go, and his little face turned red from anger.

I was six years old that year. Seeing them, I took the water scoop beside me and hit the two bigger boys with it.

The two boys were stunned for a few seconds, and Peter found the stick and drove the boys away in no time.

"This is for you." He took off the jade pendant from his neck. "It's not worth much. I just don't want them to have it."

I refused to take it, so he stuffed the jade pendant into my hand and ran away.

Later, we became what others called childhood sweethearts. We would eat together, go to school together, and fight with others together.

When I had my first period, Peter was embarrassed but still ran to buy me tampons and boil brown sugar water for me.

When he had appendicitis, I carried him to the hospital in the heavy rain.

He refused to be adopted by a well-off family for me.

I gave up a chance to study at an excellent school for him.

From childhood to adolescence, Peter and I had never been separated.

On my eighteenth birthday, Peter held my hand and confessed his love to me in the moonlight.

"Zoey." Even in the darkness, I could still see the uneasiness in his eyes. He stuttered, "H-how do you like... to be with me?"

"What did you say? I didn't hear you." I tilted my head and smiled.

His face turned even redder. "Let's be a couple."

"What?"

He finally realized that I was teasing him and hugged me. His warm breath made my ears tickle. "I love you. Do you wanna be my girlfriend, Zoey?"

I smiled and picked a gardenia. Joy appeared in his eyes, and he put the flower on my hair.

"Zoey, what do you say?" He asked cautiously. Seeing that I smiled but said nothing, Peter held me and whispered, "I don't care. I planted this gardenia for you. You picked my flowers, which means you said yes."

"No! There are many girls who may pick these flowers. How many girlfriends will you have?"

Peter became anxious immediately. "I only want you, Zoey. I don't like other girls."

The way he scratched his head in embarrassment made me laugh so hard that I couldn't straighten my back. He stopped explaining, just held my face, and kissed me.

That was our first kiss. It was clumsy but sweet.

Peter said that gardenia represented a lifetime of love, and he would love me all his life.

"Well, listen to that. How ridiculous.

I hadn't even lived half my life when he indirectly ended my life.

A lifetime of love, heh!" I thought to myself.

The pain deep in my soul made me tremble, and my weightless tears were blown away by the wind soon.

Peter walked up the back hill of the orphanage.

I didn’t know why he came to the back hill at that time.

Every year, Peter would take me there to celebrate my birthday.

Although it was just an ordinary hillside, Peter could always create something romantic out of it.

He would catch a bottle of fireflies, ask me to close my eyes and release them when I opened my eyes.

He would take a few beers and a telescope and patiently wait for a meteor shower with me.

He would carry me up and down the hill over and over again, and even when his feet were blistered, he would still smile.

The gardenia garden was also on the back hill.

Although our love had faded, the gardenias were still blooming, giving a refreshing fragrance.

Peter took out a cigarette, and the light flickered in the darkness.

His hand stroked the beautiful gardenia petals when his cell phone rang suddenly.

"Peter, come and save me! Ms. Tyler sent someone to kill our child!"

Peter ran down the hill and drove straight back to the hospital.

What a stupid man he was. He actually believed that someone would dare to commit a crime in a place like a hospital.

However, Eleanor was indeed good at acting.

Her eyes were full of respect for Peter and me in the first place.

When things went well between her and Peter, she started to show up in front of me.

After she was pregnant, Eleanor began to provoke me.

On Valentine's Day, I just received Peter's gift. Eleanor already posted something on Moments: I like your gifts. You're so sweet, like these milky candies.

The accompanying picture showed some milk candies on an exquisite tray and a diamond necklace with a cherry blossom pendant.

I looked at my gifts, which included a box of chocolates and a gardenia necklace, and felt only irony.

"Zoey." Peter came over and put the necklace on me. "I designed this pendant for you. Gardenia..."

"It represents a lifetime of love." I interrupted him and smiled. "Mr. Samuel is really loyal and fair. I wonder which is more difficult, designing the cherry blossom or gardenia?"

Peter's expression changed. "Zoey, I already told you that I got drunk that day. How long are you gonna keep raking up the past?"

Peter didn't understand that it wasn't me who was making trouble. Instead, it was his little lover.

I held my chin and counted down to three in my mind as I watched Peter being anxious.

Peter's phone rang on time.

I shook my glass. "Why don't you answer it? The weather is good today, and there's no thunder. Ms. Shane shouldn't be scared. Judging from her menstrual period last month, she shouldn't have menstrual pain, either. So let me guess. Does she feel lonely on Valentine's Day?"

"You must be careful when she's feeling lonely. She may become depressed over time. Ms. Shane is young and has to take care of you and work for you. That must be tough for her. So, you should take care of her emotions."

I took a sip of red wine, still smiling. "Don't bother coming back next time, just accompany her. She's still a girl. If you don't coax her, she'll be mad."

Peter's face turned immediately. Seeing me stand up, he grabbed my hand in panic. "I won't answer her call. I won't contact her again. Zoey, believe me. I just did it with her once after drinking. You are the only one in my heart. You are the one I love..."

Eleanor stood in front of the door, her face pale.

When Peter turned around and saw her, she ran away crying.

I saw the panic in Peter's eyes and sneered, "You're not gonna chase her?"

"No." Peter squeezed my hand hard.

It hurt so much.

——

When Peter rushed to the hospital, Eleanor was hiding in a corner of the terrace.

She was trembling with fear, and when she saw Peter, she ran over and hugged him tightly.

"Peter, you are finally here! I thought..."

"Where are they?" Peter lowered his eyes and looked at Eleanor.

To be precise, he was looking at her belly.

Eleanor burst into tears. "I don't know. They were chasing me, and I ran away. Luckily, it was dark, and I know the hospital. So, they didn't find me. I was so scared. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to see you again..."

"Okay. No need to be afraid. Let's go back."

Peter patted her back and tried to help her go back, but Eleanor's legs went weak, and she fell into his arms.

"Peter, my... my legs went numb..."

Peter picked her up.

One could easily see the satisfaction in Eleanor's eyes.

She had the same look on that night of Valentine's Day.