Chapter 27

Chapter 27


Years had passed since she last saw Ethan. The seasons had changed, and so had she. The old Lily was bubbly and outgoing but now she was more subdued and hid her feelings behind a mask.

College had come and gone in a blur of lectures, workshops, projects, deadlines, and exhibitions. She had thrown herself into her studies, already working with small jewelry brands and later the big names, even as an undergraduate—making a name for herself. She had even worked with several renowned designers, including Madame de Clare— her idol— not once but twice, and eventually taken her as a mentor.

Chloe and Miles had been the only constants in her college life. Though they also had their own pursuits, they were always there for her. Before every school break, Chloe would take out a globe of the earth and spin it, paintbrush in hand. She went wherever the paintbrush pointed— Greece, Egypt, Iceland. Hopping from country to country, the stories from her travels were enough to write a book. She claimed she was in search of inspiration, and all her paintings reflected that she found it. She always wanted Lily to go with her.

But, Lily stayed.

She always found a reason to refuse.

Though Miles often returned to the U.S to visit them. He had become a world traveller like Chloe, but instead of going to exotic resorts, he climbed mountains and lived in the wilderness. 

They had gone to Paris once to attend his mother’s wedding. It had been amazing, they had finally met his mother. Miles was happy she found happiness again after leaving his abusive, cheating father. 

While there— without telling Chloe or Miles— Lily had taken a train to Cambridge, she wanted to find him. But she had bought a return ticket immediately after she got off the train. 

She couldn’t do it.

She was too afraid.



Lily sat in her office, staring out the window, watching the sun dip below the horizon. 

She had just taken a two-week leave. Two months had passed since she graduated college, and she had been working as a designer at the Monroe Jewelry Corporation for a month now. 

Her first big project at the company was complete. A wedding ring set with the eternal love theme— the exhibition was a success, and the shareholders were happy. Multiple clients were already placing orders.

So was she. A few people in the company had not wanted to acknowledge her strengths, gossiping that she had only gotten the job because she was the owners’ daughter. Now, she had proven them wrong.

Her parents had retired leaving the bulk of running the company to her older brother.



As Lily drove home, she got a phone call. 

Aunty Nora— Mira’s mom.

Her stomach dropped.

She parked her car by the side of the road and answered.

“Hello?”

“Lily,” Aunty Nora said, her voice breaking. “The doctors said she doesn’t have much time left.”

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“I’m on my way.” She finally said.

Lily rushed to the hospital, and when she got there, Aunty Nora was leaning against the wall outside Mira’s door, sobbing quietly.

“She just woke up.” Aunty Nora said when Lily approached, wiping her eyes.

Lily nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

“You’re here,” Mira whispered, a weak smile tugging at her lips. 

Lily scanned Mira’s face. Her once-vibrant cousin had been reduced to skin and bones. A beanie covered her balding head due to the effects of chemotherapy. By the time they had discovered the stomach cancer, it was already in the fourth stage. Nothing could be done.

“My mom is crying, isn’t she?” Mira asked as Lily sat down.

Lily shook her head. Then nodded under Mira’s gaze.

“Aunty doesn’t want you to see her pain,” she murmured, adjusting the covers to better cover Mira’s legs.

“I know.” Mira sighed. “She wishes she’s the one on the bed instead of me.”

Lily didn’t say anything. She simply reached out and held Mira’s hands in hers, squeezing them slightly. Mira had always been her favorite cousin—more like a big sister. 

Her father had cut contact with his family, and her mom had only one sister, so Mira and her mom were their only other family. When Aspen bullied her when they were younger, it had been Mira and Ethan who stood up for her.

Now Mira was dying.

“I want to ask you for a favour,” Mira said, her voice barely audible.

Lily looked up, blinking away the tears starting to form. “I’d do anything.”

“When I’m gone, can you continue looking after the flower shop?”

“Mira–”

“You’ve been doing a good job so far, and you’re the only one I trust with it.”

“Okay,” Lily said softly.

Since Mira was admitted to the hospital, Lily had been running the flower shop on weekends. Not wanting any of the flowers to wither. She never saw herself doing something like that, but she began looking forward to going more and more. The smell of fresh blooms made her remember her childhood days, the days spent in the garden with Ivy running around her feet.

She hardly went back home these days. Ivy was old now and spent all day basking in the shade, barely moving.

That night, Mira passed away in her sleep.

Lily got the call just as she finished dinner. Lily didn’t know how long she cried.

Later, she sat in her apartment, holding the key to the flower shop in her palm as she drank her wine. Mira had given her the master key before she had left the hospital.

She poured herself a glass. Then another.

For the first time in her life, Lily got drunk.



Lily stopped working at the company. She didn’t resign but handled all her work from the flower shop. 

Her family understood. Mira’s death hit all of them hard.

Running the flower shop was a form of healing for Lily. As she learned about the different flowers, their care, and their meanings, it made her feel as if Mira was still there.

It softened the grief somehow.