The sight was overwhelming and for a moment, she stood frozen, the soft petals of the roses against her chest almost ironic in the midst of the celebration.
Reid entered shortly after, his eyes immediately landing on the bouquet in her hands. His smile faltered and his brow furrowed. “Who gave you those roses?” he asked, his tone more guarded than usual.
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she replied, her voice casual, though her eyes never left his. “It’s from a friend.
But Reid wasn’t ready to let it go. He huffed in frustration and walked out of the room, only to return moments later, dragging behind him another massive arrangement of pink roses. This time, they filled an entire corner of her office, their scent overpowering. It was clear he’d ordered the flowers from all over the city, a display so extravagant it was almost theatrical. From a distance, it looked like Callie was standing in the middle of a vast flower field.
Without missing a beat, Reid dropped to one knee in front of her, pulling out a diamond ring. “Callie Dodson,” he said, his voice full of warmth and emotion, “I love you. Will you marry me?”
The office erupted with cheers and excited shouts.
“Oh, my, isn’t Mr. Matthews so amazing? Just because he’s jealous over a bouquet, he filled the entire room with roses!”
“I got here at 7 this morning and the security guard told me he was already here at 4 AM, preparing everything just for Miss Dodson’s birthday! If my boyfriend did something like this, I’d be so happy!”
“Look at how huge that diamond ring is! It must’ve cost a fortune!”
Callie’s hand remained unmoved as she stared at the ring. Reid had to reach out to place it on her finger. But the paused, confusion and frustration growing on his face.
“Where’s the ring I gave you before?” he asked, clearly doubtful.
“I lost it,” Callie swiftly pulled her hand back and, without another word, walked over to the cake. She began cutting it, serving slices to everyone around her.
Reid stood there, a mixture of guilt and confusion written across his face. It finally dawned on him that there’s something off with. He quickly grabbed a piece of cake himself and handed it to her, trying to salvage the situation.
“Look, I don’t mean to interrogate you. If the ring is lost, so be it. But could you please, wear this one for me? If I’ve done something wrong, please tell me. Don’t give me cold shoulder. So, what have I done?”
“I know,” Callie smiled faintly as she took a bite of the cake. “Everything is fine. Reid. I know. I know everything.”
Before Reid could respond, the phone rang, cutting through the tension. A security guard appeared at the door, informing Reid of an urgent matter.
“Mr. Caldwell, your assistant, Miss Vega just collapsed outside the office. She said she has some important documents for you and needs you to come right away.”
Reid immediately put down the ring box, panic flashing in his eyes. He rushed toward the door without thinking. But just as he was about to leave, Callie grabbed his shirt sleeve, holding him back.
“Reid,” she said, her voice low but firm, “You can have someone else get the documents. It’s my birthday. Don’t leave me alone.”
Reid hesitated, torn between his commitment to Callie and his responsibilities at the office. Finally, he sighed and gently pulled her hand off his sleeve.
“Callie, don’t be silly. You heard him. It’s important file. I can’t just trust it to some random. You should know this.”
With that, he rushed out, too quickly to even grab his phone. As soon as the door closed behind him, the phone buzzed.
She looked at the screen, her gaze hardening as Reid’s phone lit up. The sender was Geneva, her contact saved under the nickname “Foxy.”
Callie’s lips curled into a mirthless smile as she tapped on the chat. The messages between Reid and Geneva spilled out in a damning cascade, a record of intimacy that cut deeper with every word.
“Are you wearing pink today? That’s my favorite color on you. Does it feel as good as it looks, Foxy?”
“Don’t be jealous when I celebrate Callie’s birthday later. I’ll make it up to you with a special surprise just for you. Be good, okay? ”
“Foxy, go to the villa first. I’ll meet you there soon. I’ve canceled the afternoon meeting to spend the whole day with you. How does that sound?”
She marked the messages as unread and placed the phone back where Reid had left it, amidst the chaos of paperwork on the desk. Her chest felt heavy, but her face betrayed no emotion. It wasn’t shock—this was a confirmation, not a revelation.
Her hand rested briefly on the desk, steady as ever. She had seen enough.
Callie stared at the messages, feeling an eerie calm wash over her. She didn’t feel anger or betrayal—just numbness, as if her heart had already prepared itself for this.
After reading the messages, she marked them as unread and placed her phone carefully among the pile of papers on her desk. Her hands didn’t tremble. No, she was beyond that.
Reid returned not long after, looking flustered. His eyes darted around the room as he rifled through the papers on Callie’s desk, only to freeze when he saw his phone lying conspicuously in plain sight. His gaze flicked nervously from the phone to Callie. Guilt was written all over his face.
“Callie, I’ve got something urgent to deal with,” he stammered, attempting to mask his unease. “Let me send you home first. Once I’m done, I’ll—”
“It’s fine. Go,” Callie interrupted him coldly, unwilling to drag the charade any further.
Her tone sent a wave of panic surging through Reid. He hesitated, his feet rooted to the ground as though the mere act of leaving her would sever something irreparable. For a brief moment, he considered staying, putting off the pressing matter until after her birthday.
But his phone buzzed again and when he glanced at the caller ID, his resolve cracked. Without a word, he turned and dashed out of the office.
Moments later, Callie saw his car speed away like a shot arrow, vanishing into the distance. She sighed, the faint hope she had harbored dissipating entirely.
Her phone chimed, pulling her attention. It was a message from Geneva—a photo of a prenatal check-up report. Geneva was pregnant. Eight weeks. Reid was going to be a father, but not to her child.
Callie stared at the screen, her lips curling into a bitter smile. Unknowingly, tears streamed down her cheeks, but a hollow laugh escaped her lips instead. The people around her exchanged confused glances and one of them cautiously asked, “Callie, are you okay?”
Before she could answer, a strange tightness gripped her throat. She gasped for air, clawing at her neck as the world spun around her. She collapsed to the ground, her coworkers rushing to her side. In her blurred vision, she noticed the smashed remains of her birthday cake—speckled with peanut crumbs.
Reid had actually forgotten that she was allergic to peanuts.
Geneva had once posted that she loved peanuts. Since then, Reid spent hours peeling peanuts for her, ignoring the blisters forming on his hands to make her favorite peanut cake. Geneva had even posted about it online, calling him ‘the sweetest man in the world.’
Callie felt the cruel irony settle in her chest. This love had died long ago—she had just been too blind to see it.
When Callie regained consciousness, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. Her body felt weak and her head throbbed. As her eyes adjusted to the harsh light, she saw Reid sitting by her side. His eyes were bloodshot and his hands trembled as they clutched hers tightly.
“Callie,” he rasped, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I forgot about your allergy. It’s my fault…”
Callie moved her finger, trying pulled her hands out of him
Reid noticed the motion and immediately leaned forward, pulling her into an embrace. His whole body trembling. “Thank God you’re okay. I was so scared. Please don’t be mad at me. I’ll make it right, I swear,” he whispered in her ears.
With the last ounce of strength she could muster, Callie pushed him away, tears slipping down her face. She turned her head, refusing to look at him. Her grief wasn’t because he forgot about her allergy, that he had stopped caring, but it was because she finally understood that the eight years she had poured her heart into were wasted.
Reid adjusted her blanket and busied himself slicing an apple, trying to salvage the moment. “You haven’t eaten anything since last night, because you’re unconscious. Your body need food. Here, have a piece,” he said, holding it to her lips. “I’ll cook something better when we get home, okay?”
Callie said nothing, her eyes closing as though to block him out. She wasn’t sure when, but eventually, she drifted off into a fitful sleep.
When she woke up again, there was a thermos on the bedside table, with a sticky note stuck to it.
The nurse entered to check her IV and started chatting cheerfully. “You have a very thoughtful boyfriend, Miss Dodson. He stayed all night long taking care of you. He made you soup over and over so that you would have fresh ones waiting when you woke up.”
Callie forced a smile but couldn’t bring herself to respond.
The nurse continued, her tone shifting to excitement. “Oh and I heard there’s one too in the maternity ward upstairs. He cooked noodles for his pregnant wife, bathed her, helped her change and even washed her undergarments. I mean, that level of attentiveness is almost too much!”
Callie let out a sardonic laugh. “Very considerate of him. He’s about to become a father. That’s how he supposed to act.”
She knew the man the nurse was talking about was Reid. Not long after the conversation end, her phone buzzed from message from Geneva. She couldn’t wait to gloat. Geneva had sent videos of Reid washing her underwear and photos of him pressing his ear against her belly with a delighted smile, listening for any signs of movement. Geneva had even attached a slew of Reid’s blissful expressions from every angle, as if determined to send Callie a hundred snapshots of his happiness.
Reid had told her that when the baby was born, he wanted to name it “Reva,” to signify his devotion to Geneva. This, he said, was the embodiment of their love.
The embodiment of their love? Callie thought bitterly. Reid had a big heart and so much love to give to the point where he could share it to more than one person at the same time.
But she couldn’t do it. Her heart was small, able to hold only one person. She wasn’t the type of woman who could share her partner with someone else.
That evening, Reid didn’t return. Geneva had kept him by her side and Reid, true to form, sent another excuse through a message.
Callie didn’t care. The doctor had told her she could be discharged the next day. Perfect timing—she wouldn’t miss the wedding.
Later that night, Tommy somehow found out about her allergic reaction and sent over a bouquet of flowers. He even hired a private chef to prepare a meal to soothe her stomach. Tommy stayed for a while, urging Callie to eat before he left.
Moved by this gesture, Callie sent him a text, “Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say apart from that words.
Tommy quickly replied, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll take a cab.”
After that, Tommy didn’t send any more messages.
Callie spent the night tossing and turning, her thoughts a jumbled mess. She couldn’t understand Tommy’s motives. For a marriage built on mutual benefit, he didn’t need to go out of his way like this. Eventually, her mind grew tired of overthinking and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep—peaceful for the first time in ages.
The next morning, Reid finally appeared. His hair was disheveled and he wore the same clothes as the day before. He must have stayed by Geneva’s side all night without even going home. But Callie no longer cared. Soon, they would be strangers, each walking their separate paths with no more ties to bind them.
Reid’s gaze landed on the flower bouquet and his expression darkened. “Who sent this?”
Callie calmly packed her belongings, not even bothering to look up. “A friend.”
Reid grabbed her arm, his frustration evident. “Last time, you said the pink roses were from a friend. Now it’s this bouquet? Who is this friend who keeps sending you flowers, Callie? Are you hiding something from me? You’ve been acting distant lately, like you’re upset with me. Did I do something wrong?”
His eyes were red with desperation. He seemed genuinely anxious, as though some unseen force had taken root inside him, growing uncontrollably. Even the slightest hint of trouble now sent him spiraling.
A cold laugh escaped Callie’s lips. “Why are you so nervous, Reid? It’s just a bouquet of flowers. If I were to marry someone else, would you go mad?”
Her words made Reid’s heart skip a beat.
“If you really married someone else, I would go insane. Callie, promise me—never abandon me in this lifetime.”
Callie grabbed his crumpled shirt, her eyes lingering on the faint lipstick stain. Her voice was calm, devoid of warmth.
“Reid, as long as you don’t betray me or leave me, I won’t walk away. But if you ever lie to me, I won’t hesitate to turn my back. I told you this a long time ago.”
