Chapter 2

Henry held up a drawing -- on the paper was a lopsidedly drawn flower.

In the middle, he'd also drawn a round, chubby person.

"Mommy, this is for you."

I brought the phone closer, smiling. "Then who's this little pig next to it?"

Henry's face scrunched up.

"That's Daddy!"

The camera shook.

Frederick appeared on screen, holding the squirming Henry in his arms.

He glanced at the drawing and corrected calmly.

"I'm not that fat."

Henry hugged his neck.

"Daddy is a fat pig."

I laughed out loud.

The chill Lincoln had brought earlier gradually dissipated with those few sentences.

Frederick looked at me, his gaze pausing.

"What just happened?"

I didn't answer.

He knew me too well.

The calmer I was, the more it meant an old wound had been touched.

"Did the Lynn family find you?"

I hummed in acknowledgment.

"Lincoln."

Frederick's side went quiet for two seconds.

"Do you need me to handle it?"

"No."

"I can handle it."

He nodded.

"Landing tomorrow at ten a.m."

"Grandpa and my parents are coming back too."

"We're not leaving again."

I froze.

"You've decided to settle down?"

"Yes."

Henry immediately chimed in.

"Mommy, I want to live next to the flower shop!"

Frederick pinched the back of his neck.

"That won't work. Your mom will complain about you pulling up flowers."

Henry kicked his legs indignantly.

I watched them banter, feeling warmth in my eyes.

Seven years ago, when I collapsed on the street, it was winter.

The rain was pouring.

The Lynn family had thrown me out. Mrs. Lynn had smashed my phone, and the servants had thrown my ID and wallet into a ditch.

I had such a high fever I couldn't see straight. Crouching under a bridge, I heard someone calling my name.

It was Mr. Shaw.

He was a long-lost relative from my grandmother's side.

He'd been searching for me for ages, but when he finally found me, I'd already been pushed to the brink of death by the Lynn family.

When I woke up, Frederick was sitting by my hospital bed.

He didn't say much -- just asked me one question: "Do you want to start over?"

My throat was so hoarse I couldn't speak. I could only nod.

He helped me cancel my old number and change my surname back to Shaw.

Mr. Shaw gave me a flower shop.

Frederick gave me a family.

Many people assume wealthy families only scheme against each other.

But the Caldwell family taught me I didn't have to watch others' faces while eating.

They taught me I didn't have to prove my innocence to the point of breakdown when wrongly accused.

They taught me love isn't something you beg for on your knees.

Frederick looked at me through the screen.

"Nina, what happened in the past is over."

Hearing those words pulled me back to a distant memory.

The day I returned to the Lynn mansion, I wore a faded white dress and carried a cloth bag the orphanage in my county had given me.

The first time Mrs. Lynn saw me, she frowned and said:

"Why are you so skinny? You have no posture."

Lily stood behind her wearing the pink dress originally prepared for me.

That pink princess room -- Mrs. Lynn said it should be kept for Lily.

"She's not in good health. Changing rooms will make her lose sleep."

So I was arranged into the attic storage room.

The roof leaked, the corners were moldy.

At night, rats scurried past from behind cardboard boxes.

I hugged my blanket and curled up by the bed, telling myself my biological parents just weren't used to me yet.

Just wait a little longer.

But what I waited for was Lily hiding a necklace in my backpack.

What I waited for was Mrs. Lynn's slap.

What I waited for was Mr. Lynn's punishment.

What I waited for was Lincoln saying, "Lily is innocent. She wouldn't lie."

Every time Lily cried, I had to kneel.

Every time she got sick, I got scolded.

Later I finally understood.

When some people's hearts are biased, no amount of reasoning can straighten them out.

Frederick asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

I swallowed the old memories.

"Thinking about picking you up tomorrow."

Henry pressed his face against the screen.

"Mommy has to hug me first."

I said okay.

Frederick looked at me.

"Hug me too."

Henry immediately covered his mouth.

"No stealing."

I hung up with a smile.

Outside, the sky darkened.

I packed the remaining rotten soil from the bellflowers into a black bag.

Sophie asked, "Nina, should we throw it out?"

"Throw it far away. Don't let it affect the new flowers growing in the shop."