I didn’t get why he was pushing me to admit I was hurt when I was trying to move on.
It was frustrating.
“It’s not about that! You and she are close friends, and close friends share everything, right?”
Feeling overwhelmed by the emotional conversation, I decided to change the subject.
“If the gardenia is dead, just throw it away. It wasn’t that important to you anyway.”
Scott had once mentioned liking gardenias, so I bought several pots and took great care of them.
Each one withered as if foreshadowing the end of our relationship.
I only found out that Hannah was the one who truly loved gardenias. Scott’s interest was just a byproduct of that.
Scott’s lips tightened, a flash of guilt in his eyes.
“There’s my art exhibition this weekend. Would you like to come with me?”
My mind was completely absorbed by the details of the case files, constantly wrestling with their complexities.
It felt like someone had interrupted me in the middle of solving a problem, and I was growing increasingly agitated.
“I’m too busy!”
Scott, a genius painter, was known for his works being snapped up at high prices as soon as they were exhibited.
I had once foolishly believed that my genuine love could be exchanged for a genuine return. I wanted to understand his world better, hoping that my sincerity would be reciprocated.
But he had always refused to make our relationship public, claiming it would hurt his young female fans' purchasing power.
Once, I had secretly gone to one of his exhibitions, hoping to surprise him on his birthday.
When he saw me, he turned his back and refused to acknowledge me.
I waited outside the gallery like a fool until it closed.
The security guard had to shoo me away, laughing at my foolishness. I felt like a discarded clown.
When I cried about it later at home, he looked at me with contempt.
“You, with your lack of understanding of art, what do you know?”
Now, he was breaking with tradition by inviting me to his exhibition. In the past, I would have been thrilled.
Scott seemed taken aback by my refusal, especially since I had expressed a desire to attend his exhibitions many times before.
He bit his lip as if making a monumental effort.
“Lillian, are you really not coming? This exhibition will be broadcast live. I planned to announce our relationship to the world.”
I had dreamed countless times of Scott declaring my presence in a grand, romantic way.