It was evening.

When Daniel came back, he was holding a bouquet of pink and white roses. He saw me sitting in the living room and slammed the roses down in front of me.

There was an open card attached, with the words: [Happy Seventh Anniversary of Our Meeting!]

At the end of the message, there was even a heart drawn.

Without needing Daniel to say anything, I knew the flowers were from Brenda.

Brenda always sent pink and white roses.

I, on the other hand, always sent red roses.

I used to send pink and white roses too, but Daniel once told me he hated them and asked me not to send them anymore.

He was even angry with me for a whole day because of it.

But later, when I saw Brenda giving Daniel pink and white roses, he smiled happily.

I questioned Daniel about it, but he denied ever saying he didn't like pink and white roses. He even said they symbolized pure feelings.

At that moment, I was silent and finally understood a simple truth.

The type of flower didn't matter. What matters was the person who gave them.

But now, I didn't feel a trace of anger.

"Put the flowers away for me."

Daniel ordered smugly, tilting his chin up.

"Okay."

I nodded, got up, and threw the previous flowers I had given Daniel into the trash before replacing them with the new pink and white roses.

"What are you doing? Why throw away the red roses instead of using a new vase? Are you throwing a tantrum?"

Daniel crossed his arms and looked at me with that familiar, cold, mocking gaze, continuing, "You're always so petty..."

It was the same old words, the same condescending attitude.

In the past, I would have been furious, my face turning pale, my body trembling, and I would have argued with Daniel until he stormed out.

Then, I would apologize and beg him to come back.

But now, I calmly replied, "You've misunderstood."

Daniel seemed surprised by my calmness, his expression changing to one of disbelief. He furrowed his brows, stopped talking to me, and stormed out.

Without a doubt, Daniel was angry again.

He probably thought I would chase after him with his bag, like before, apologizing and trying to make things right.

He'd continue to ignore me on the street.

I would even skip work just to appease Daniel for hours, which eventually led to me being scolded by my boss, getting my pay docked, or even being fired.

Because of this, I was forced to switch jobs several times.

But this time, I didn't chase after him, nor did I plan to. Instead, I went to the study.

After all, Daniel had Brenda.

I turned on my computer and logged into a design forum. It had been so long since I last used my account that I had to try several times before getting the password right.

As soon as I was online, a friend greeted me: [Hey Arabella, why are you suddenly back? Didn't you quit because of your boyfriend? Did you break up?]

I stared at the screen for a while before replying with a simple: [Yes.]

Actually, I've been interested in drawing since I was a kid, and I even showed some talent for it. Prestigious schools abroad and famous gaming companies offered me opportunities.

But I turned them down for Daniel, choosing instead to work at an ordinary company.

I'd wake up early to make breakfast for Daniel, wash his clothes at night, watch the shows he liked, and help him solve problems at work.

It seemed like everything I did was to cater to Daniel, and I gradually gave up on my own interests, drawing, building aircraft models, all of it.

But in the end, I got nothing. Daniel's attitude toward me was warm and icy, but he was always warm and affectionate with Brenda.

The dream I once had of a lifetime of love with Daniel had long since shattered.

Rather than exhausting myself for others, it was better to love myself more.

Two hours later, I received a call from Brenda.

"How could you? How badly did you treat Daniel? He ran out in the middle of the night, and you're not worried?"

Brenda scolded me loudly.

"He has you by his side, so why should I be worried?"

I retorted, hung up, and then returned to chatting with my friends on the forum.

They all thought I could resume my old work, saying that with my talent, I could easily keep up with the latest trends.

I made up my mind to start living for myself.

Before long, I heard the door open. Daniel was probably back. But I didn't pay attention and continued chatting.

One of my friends worked at a top gaming company and had previously wanted to recruit me as a special artist.

So, when he heard I was back, he immediately arranged an interview opportunity with his manager.

I gladly accepted and decided to go for the interview the next day.

The following morning, I didn't get up early to make breakfast for Daniel as usual. Instead, I slept in until after nine, made myself a sandwich, and paired it with some milk and juice.

In the past, I had to accommodate Daniel's tastes, changing up dishes to coax him into eating.

Sometimes, he'd say the night before what he wanted to eat, but by the time I made it, he wouldn't want it and would demand something else.

He even made me prepare a portion for Brenda.

It was as if I were their maid, always at their beck and call.

Now, though, I felt so much better without any obligations, not needing to wake up at six, not straining myself to please Daniel.

Even the sunlight outside seemed brighter.

When I arrived at the company, thanks to my friend's introduction, I met the general manager, and we had a long conversation.

Afterward, I showed him some of my award-winning work, as well as game scenes and character illustrations I had drawn in the past.

The general manager was very impressed and asked me to design a game character poster within three days as a test.

If I passed, I'd be hired immediately.

I eagerly accepted, determined to give my all for this opportunity, knowing that the competition for positions at top gaming companies was fierce.

Because I had turned off my phone during the interview, it wasn't until I left the company that I turned it back on and saw a notification from Daniel about a message he had sent half an hour earlier.

But when I opened the chat, I found the message had been withdrawn.

At that moment, I noticed someone had tagged me in the class group chat.

When I checked, I saw that Daniel, who rarely showed up, was unusually active today, constantly interacting with Brenda and posting photos he took of her.

Some of the photos were quite intimate.

Daniel was leaning on Brenda's shoulder while she played with his hair.

It seemed they had gone out to take pictures this morning, enjoying their happy time together.

Our classmates were all cheering them on, and many asked me what I thought of the pictures and whether they looked good.

I simply replied: [They look good.]