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James’s blindness wasn’t congenital. He lost his sight as a child after being kidnapped.
As the illegitimate son of the Foster family, with his mother long gone and his father always away, no one really cared about him, which delayed his treatment.
Our meeting wasn’t exactly a fairytale. I was running a small flower shop at the time.
He got lost and stumbled into my shop asking for directions. I guess you could call it love at first sight.
In the sea of flowers, the handsome boy’s face was half–hidden by petals. Though his eyes were vacant, they couldn’t hide his noble air.
I remember thinking what a shame it was that such a good–looking boy couldn’t see.
Later, I was the one who pursued him. I figured there was nothing wrong with a girl making the first move.
They say it’s easy for a girl to catch a boy, and James quickly surrendered to my advances.
I found a sense of home with James, while James experienced being truly loved for the first time.
The unexpected happened three years ago when I was suddenly diagnosed with late–stage liver cancer. Afraid that James couldn’t handle it, I made up an excuse to break up with him.
I still remember the day we broke up. It was snowing heavily.
James stood across from me.
When I said, “I don’t want to be with a useless illegitimate son anymore. I want to find someone rich, James bit his lower lip hard.
“So all those promises about staying together forever were lies?” he asked.
“Of course. I just thought you were good–looking and wanted to play around. Did you really think I liked you?”
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Those words were like a knife carving out his heart, and they hurt me just as much.
The cold wind crept under my clothes. I gritted my teeth, clutching the medical report in my pocket, trying to keep my voice steady, but it still
trembled.
“Lily, I’ll talk to my dad about working at the company. Even though I can’t see, I’ll work hard to learn. Trust me, I’ll give you a future, please don’t leave me.”
“A future? You’re blind, with no money or connections. How can you compete with your brothers and sisters? How can you give me a future?”
“Let’s just end this on good terms,” I said, unable to look at James’s face. I was afraid I’d break down crying the next second, so I turned and walked away.
But I couldn’t help worrying about James, so I secretly followed him.
That day, James fell several times on the path that usually took only ten minutes to walk. It took him a full hour to get home.
Each time James fell, my heart ached.
I hated myself for not being able to tell James the truth, but I couldn’t selfishly let him suffer for the rest of his life.
Now, as I floated above, watching James achieve success and fame. I felt a mix of emotions.
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Now, as I floated above, watching James achieve success and fame, I felt a mix of emotions.
My soul followed James.
To my surprise, the second place James visited after returning to the country was the flower shop I used to run.
The door hit the wind chimes, making a crisp sound. A young girl turned around to greet James warmly.
It felt like a lifetime ago. That girl looked a lot like me when I was younger – pure and innocent.
A wave of bitterness washed over me. This flower shop held all my beautiful memories; it meant so much to me.
James carefully looked around. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I saw James’s eyes turn red.
“Can I help you with anything, sir?” the girl asked as she approached.
James snapped out of his thoughts and apologized. “I’m sorry, we don’t sell irises here.”
The girl noticed some irises in the corner and pointed at them. “Aren’t those irises over there?”
“Those… are reserved for someone I love,” James replied.
His cold and cruel tone sent chills through me.
“But the business here looks pretty good… his assistant remarked, surprised.
James’s face showed annoyance. “This place is my shame. It must be destroyed!”
My heart clenched.
So James hated me this much.
