He Took the Money and Married My Sister!

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.