Jason had finally gotten what he wanted and was as deliriously happy as a mad dog. He posted endless sweet couple photos on social media.

Giselle made him look far better than he did in real life. It was a complete contrast to the old days with me, when he would boss me around to take his photos, always stuck in the same stiff, victorious poses.

Lately, his photos were filled with silly, relaxed smiles, seemingly influenced by Giselle's cheerful spirit. In each one, he grinned broadly, as if to say, "I've never been happier."

In his most recent post, Jason and Giselle were wearing matching rings. "Guys, don't invite me to hangouts anymore. I'm focusing on my career. I want to give Giselle the future she deserves."

After seeing that, I blocked him.

Jason had always struggled with commitment. After graduating, he flitted from one company to another. He couldn't handle the pressure of a big corporation, and the pay at smaller companies never impressed him. I had followed him through it all, changing jobs alongside him.

Last month, he quit without even telling me, leaving me alone at our small company. Now he was working at the big corporation he once despised, and the complaints were gone.

That was fine with me. I no longer had to wander from job to job, only to be scolded by my parents when I got home.

I decided to open a flower shop. Software engineering had never been what I wanted to study. When I hesitated back then, Jason simply took the mouse and made the choice for me.

"Winter, what's there to hesitate about? You can survive without me, can't you?" he said, smiling in a way that made my teeth itch. "I made the decision for you—same school, same major. I've got your back from now on."

Back then, I had gritted my teeth and studied a subject I didn't like, all for a crush I had carried for years. Fate had a way of turning the tables. Now, Jason was forcing himself into a class he didn't enjoy for love, and I was free.

In fact, I had quietly taken floral design classes alongside my job. If I couldn't be with the person I liked, at least I could do something I loved.

I rented a small shop in the old neighborhood. It was simply decorated and barely cost anything. Each day, I took photos of my arrangements, posted them online with clear prices, and slowly gained a small but steady following.

When orders picked up, I was so busy I forgot the smell of coffee that had once filled the company, or the tears that had fallen on the doorknob months ago.

One afternoon, Susan Pierce, a former colleague I barely spoke to, reached out to me to order flowers. She sounded thrilled. "I found a flower shop online called Bellefleur, and it was gorgeous. I went to add the owner as a friend, and that's when I realized it was you."

I hadn't expected such a coincidence. Though we had barely interacted before, we were reconnecting through flowers. It made me feel unexpectedly warm. "Since you're my first customer, I'll send you a bouquet," I replied.

Susan grew even more animated, as if a floodgate had burst open. "You're so nice. It's just that we always saw you with Jason before, so we didn't know how to get close to you. To be honest, we all assumed you were a couple. I never thought his social media post would be about another woman."

A beat later, she deleted her message and added an apology. "Sorry. You've already left the company, and we're still bringing this up."

Her words made me pause. "Why did you think…"

I chose my words carefully. "Why did you think Jason and I were a couple?"

Her response came right away. "Felicity Martin from the administrative office once confessed to Jason. When he turned her down, he said you were his girlfriend."

That one message threw my mind into chaos. Distracted, I pricked my finger on a rose thorn I had been trimming, and blood immediately welled up.

The sharp pain brought me back to reality. I couldn't bear to look at my phone, so I hurried to clean the wound. When I returned, the phone was still buzzing nonstop with messages from Susan.

"It's because Felicity got rejected that she kept messing with you afterward. To deal with the mess, Jason worked late every night for a week, often until dawn. Didn't you know?"

She added, "I've gone and said too much. Don't let anyone know it was me! Thanks for the flowers!"

I stared at the phone, lost in thought. Could that really be true? I only remembered that last year, there was a period when Jason had indeed worked extra shifts for several days.

During that time, he broke his usual habit of leaving the office with me. Every day, he insisted I go home first because he had to work late. I couldn't leave him on his own, so I went down for some instant food and returned to sit beside him while he kept working.

He typed so fast it was like the keys were on fire. Between bursts of furious typing, he muttered complaints about his boss without pause. The strange rhythm of his swearing and tapping was hypnotic, and I soon found myself dozing off next to him.

When I opened my eyes, Jason's jacket was draped over me. The sun was just appearing over the horizon outside the huge windows. He was still typing, though now with a softer, slower rhythm.

His swearing had stopped, and his gaze was fixed on the screen. In the reflection, I saw a rare seriousness on his face, so unlike the carefree Jason I usually knew. For some reason, it made him look kind of handsome, and I couldn't tear my eyes away.

With my brain in a fog, I reached out and tapped his face. That poke seemed to cut through the pretense he had so carefully built.

He grabbed my hand quickly, paused for a second, then flung it away with mild annoyance. "You promised to stay and work with me! You just sat for a bit and fell asleep. Buddy, that's not fair of you."

His usual animated, chaotic self was back. For once, I didn't argue with him. Instead, I held my finger in front of his eyes, pointing straight toward the window. "Look, the sunrise."

He slowly turned his head, as if afraid my finger might touch his cheek.

The moment he turned, the sun fully emerged over the horizon.

"Damn it," Jason muttered under his breath.

I remembered every detail, even the warmth of Jason's cheek, as if it were still pressed against my fingers. Yet Susan said he stayed late because Felicity had made things difficult for me.

Why hadn't he told me? And why had he secretly dealt with all those problems without a word?

A ridiculous thought wormed its way into my head. Could it be that he had once liked me as well?

Before I could get lost in such daydreams, a new delivery order popped up. I recognized the number immediately—it was Jason.

It was the same number we had chosen together, differing only in the last two digits.

The pink fantasy I had been spinning was abruptly shattered by reality. I took a deep breath and splashed cold water on my face twice.

Once I had calmed down, I checked the order notes. "Please put this on the card: 'Giselle, happy 100 days together, and to many more years with you.'"

It was so cheesy that I almost felt like scribbling something ridiculous on the card just to mess with it.

At worst, he could leave me a bad review, but in the end, I let it go and began carefully putting together the bouquet.

My name was Winter, yet I had always had a soft spot for passion and color. The flowers I picked were lively and bright, capturing a summer feel that suited Giselle perfectly. I imagined she would like them.

Just as I was about to call for a delivery, the doorbell rang. "Welcome."

I looked up and met Jason's eyes across the room.

"You actually opened this place?" he asked, clearly surprised. "Not bad, Winter. Flying solo at last!"

It was the first time we had met in person since they got together.

Jason wore a striking white suit, his hair perfectly styled, and his dark eyes gleamed as if they could set anyone's heart on fire. I could tell he had an important date tonight.

I passed him the flowers. "Yeah, whoever wants to do this menial work can have it. I'm free from the grind."

With a teasing grin, I added, "Oh, right—you're still a corporate lackey at that big firm, aren't you?"

Jason immediately jumped, holding the flowers in one hand and reaching to tap my head with the other. "You don't get it! I'm Giselle's husband, and that's what matters. Being a lackey outside for a while doesn't take away an ounce of my dignity!"

My playful grin froze for an instant. Realizing my lapse, I looked down, then back up with a mischievous smirk. "You're getting married? So soon?"

I didn't even know what I was expecting inside.

Jason wore that infuriatingly smug grin. "I'm getting a whirlwind wedding! You've been single forever—you wouldn't understand!"

I didn't understand. How could he say things like that so casually in front of me?

At that instant, I could no longer keep up the act. It had taken too much out of me. When Jason saw the shift in my expression, his smile faltered ever so slightly.

A flicker of something complicated passed through his eyes, and I didn't catch it in time.

Just as I wanted to stubbornly ask something for myself, Jason suddenly turned serious. "Winter, you'll meet someone better one day."

He ruffled my hair, hugged the flowers, and turned to leave. I stood there in a daze, savoring the words he had left me.

"Someone better."

Better than whom?