Christina showed no hint of guilt for leaving the man outside the door all night. Her expression stayed calm as she said, “This day is our wedding anniversary. I prepared a big gift for you.”
A divorce certificate—her way of setting him free.
When he heard that, all his irritation instantly disappeared. The corners of his lips lifted into a smile.
He knew it. Christina could never really leave him.
“Since you’re being so thoughtful, I’ll prepare a gift for you, too. As for what you pulled last night, I’ll let it go.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the house.
Watching him rush away, Christina let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
He wasn’t “letting it go.” He simply didn’t have time to argue; after all, he had to go see the woman he actually cared about.
Still, Hervey kept his word. At noon, he had his secretary deliver a bouquet of roses.
Ma’am, Sir Hervey picked these out himself. He hopes you’ll like them.”
The roses were beautiful—bright and full. But he had forgotten one thing: she preferred heirloom roses.
When they were young, she loved them so much that Hervey once climbed over the neighbor’s fence just to pick one for her.
His mother made him kneel in the hallway for hours because of it.
Roses were Keala’s favorite.
If this had been years ago, Christina would’ve argued with him, furious that he couldn’t even remember what she liked.
But after these three years—after so many moments like this—she no longer had the strength to be angry.
After she finished signing for the flowers, the secretary left. But later, she saw the real story on Keala’s Instagram.
An hour earlier, Keala had posted a photo with a caption.
[I casually mentioned I liked sapphires once, and Hervey flew me to Miami in a private jet. But the auction roses? He just handed them off to whoever.]
The roses in the photo were exactly like the bouquet Christina received.
Apparently, the flowers she ended up with were the ones Keala didn’t care to keep.
With that realization, Christina picked up the bouquet and tossed it straight into the trash.
Things that served no purpose should be thrown away.
There were still two days left before the divorce proceedings. She had already booked her plane ticket.
She planned to travel for a while, to finally slow down and see the landscapes she’d never had the chance to enjoy.
But that night, she received a call from her parents, telling her she had to attend—today was Keala’s birthday.
They seemed to forget that they hadn’t celebrated her birthday in nearly twenty years.
It was not because they refused but because they always forgot.
Their hearts were small—so small that they only had room for Keala, leaving no space for Christina at all.
She hadn’t wanted to go. But thinking about the fact that they had at least given her life, she decided she would treat tonight as a farewell.
But once she arrived at the party, she realized she was not needed there.
Her childhood best friend was now Keala’s best friend.
Her parents stood on Keala’s side.
Even her husband sided with Keala.
Keala’s circle of friends sneered openly.
“Keala, where’s that small-town sister of yours? Is she gonna be here tonight? Don’t let her run her mouth like she did years ago and embarrass you again.”
Christina’s fist tightened.
Back then, when she had just been rescued and brought home, even her accent had changed. She didn’t know how to dress, looked plain and awkward, completely out of place among these people.
The moment she spoke, they laughed and called her a hillbilly.
Even Hervey couldn’t hold back his laughter.
She had been so crushed by it that she spent two months correcting her accent.
But now, she finally understood something.
Even if Hervey couldn’t understand her words back then, couldn’t he at least understand her tears?
The memories made her feel ridiculous.
