Chapter 4

When Flora woke up again, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. There were five or six nurses standing around her. When they saw her open her eyes, they immediately gathered around her. “Miss Flora, you're awake!” “Mr. Carlton instructed us to take good care of you,” the lead nurse said respectfully. “Also, that troublesome drunkard has been sent to prison and won’t be coming out for the rest of his life. You should focus on recovering during this time…” Flora closed her eyes, and the scene flashed through her mind: Carlton carrying Calista away, never once looking back. It turned out he wasn't unaware of the drunkard harming her, but at that moment, nothing was more important than Calista's injury. She remained silent for a long time before softly asking, “Where is Carlton?” The nurses exchanged glances before stammering, “Mr. Carlton... has something to attend to.” Flora understood. He was with Calista. In the days that followed, she recovered from her injuries while keeping up with Carlton’s latest news through a group chat on her phone. Calista liked a certain niche designer’s brand, so Carlton bought the entire company just so she could be the first to choose each season’s new designs. Calista casually mentioned she liked lavender from the south of France, so Carlton bought an entire estate and built a glass greenhouse so she could see the flowers bloom all year round. Carlton, who never cooked, burned his hands seven or eight times while trying to make soup for the sick Calista. The group chat was buzzing with discussion. “Carlton is truly head over heels for Calista...” “Unfortunately, she's his brother's fiancée, so it's tricky.” “The saddest part is that Calista doesn’t even know Carlton likes her!” They chatted enthusiastically, forgetting that Flora was also in the group. She had joined the group to understand Carlton’s preferences—what kind of coffee he liked, what kind of fabric he preferred for his shirts, and even what brand of dog food his dog was allergic to. She had memorized every detail. Now, she could only watch as they discussed how much Carlton loved another woman. Flora closed her phone and slowly closed her eyes. The caregiver Carlton hired was excellent, taking meticulous care of him. But he never showed up once. After being discharged from the hospital, Flora didn't go home but instead met up with her college roommate. “I’m going back to my hometown,” she handed them the gifts, “and I probably won’t be coming back.” “What?” her roommates were shocked, “What about Carlton? Are you going to be in a long-distance relationship?” She shook her head, “It’s not a long-distance relationship; it’s a breakup.” “He’s the cloud in the sky, and I’m the mud on the ground,” Flora smiled, “We were never meant to be in the same world; we should have parted ways long ago.” Despite her words, her roommates couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. “But you were so good to him! When he had a fever, you stayed up for three days and nights taking care of him; his shirts had to be hand-washed, so you washed each one by hand; he was picky about food, so you made dozens of different breakfasts for him… After seven years, even the coldest heart should have been warmed by now! But what about him? Over the years, he was twined with the gossips, and there’s never been a shortage of women around him!” “Forget it, just forget it. It’s better to part ways. In my opinion, a playboy like Carlton would never truly care for anyone!” Flora stirred her now-cold coffee, a faint smile on her lips. How could he not care? It’s just that all his love was given to the one he could never have. After chatting for several hours, Flora bid farewell to her roommates one by one. As she stepped out of the café and was about to hail a taxi, Carlton’s call suddenly came through. “Why aren’t you at the office at this hour?” Carlton’s voice came through the receiver, still carrying his usual nonchalance. Flora paused for a moment, still unsure whether to tell him she was transferring back to her hometown, but Carlton had already moved on indifferently: “Where are you? Send me your location; I’ll come pick you up.” She was confused, but she nodded and sent him the address. Half an hour later, a black sports car pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down, and Carlton’s bold, angular face appeared: “Get in.” Flora opened the door and caught a whiff of the faint perfume scent inside—it was the same one Calista always used. “Where are we going?” she asked softly. “Calista’s epiphyllum is going to bloom tonight.” Carlton steered with one hand, “She asked me to take you to see it.” Flora lowered her eyes. So that’s why. She had been surprised that Carlton would contact her on his own. Now she understood—it was all for Calista’s sake. At a red light, Carlton seemed to suddenly remember her injury and asked, “Is your hand better?” She nodded. “The nurse you hired was very attentive. It’s almost healed.” “Don’t do something stupid like that again,” he said casually as he started the car. “Grasping a knife with your bare hands? Do you want to lose your hand?” “I know,” she said softly. “But at the time… I just didn’t want anything to happen to you.” Carlton’s grip on the steering wheel tightened suddenly. Over the years, Flora had always put him first. When he casually mentioned wanting to eat pastries from that old shop in the west of the city, she braved the rain to queue for two hours; on his birthday, she scoured the entire city to find that discontinued red wine; even when he brought a woman home, she could calmly hand over the slippers… He wasn’t blind to how much she loved him. But… “Don't do that again,” his voice softened unusually, “Even if you really killed him, the Davis Family could handle it.” “Yes, I won't do it again.” Flora looked out the window, “At the time, I just... instinctively wanted to protect you.” She had loved him for so long that protecting him and caring about him had become second nature. But from now on, she would let go completely. A strange feeling suddenly welled up in Carlton’s heart. For the first time in his life, someone had told him, “I want to protect you.” He turned his head to look at Flora’s ordinary yet gentle profile. The sunlight streamed through the car window onto her face, and he suddenly noticed that this girl who had always quietly followed behind him had a faint lachrymal mole at the corner of her eye.