Ethan walked through the estate gate in the setting sun. The clouds were dark and heavy, signaling the impending rain. The weather perfectly mirrored his mood.Just as the first droplets started to fall, a cab slowed down near him.The driver, an elderly man in his sixties, rolled down the window. His face was weathered with time but kind. “Young man, do you need a ride?”Ethan nodded and slid into the backseat. “Can you take me to the hotel near the airport?”“Sure, son.” As they drove, the rain fell heavier, they passed Hillcrest Hotel— one of his family’s hotels. His gaze lingered on the grand entrance. His father had once brought him to those very doors.“Ethan, one day you will help Daddy take care of the hotel, okay?”“Yes daddy,” a young Ethan had replied. “We will make lots of money to buy mummy and Lily pretty dresses.”His father chuckled, stroking his head gently. Ethan shook his head to clear the memories.For a second, he almost told the cab driver to stop. But he didn
As she walked around the garden, the guests greeted her warmly, wishing her a happy birthday and offering their gifts. The warm sparkle of the fairy lights reflected off her dress, adding to her beauty.“Oh my God, Lily!” Chloe squealed excitedly. She made her way through the white tables and chairs to stand in the centre. “You look so good.”“Thanks,” Lily smiled and twirled, letting her skirt float around her. “My mom’s arrangement.”“Aunty is such a fashion Icon. Unlike my mom.”Chloe huffed. “She’s always buying me flower prints. So not my style.”“Come on, the dresses aren’t that bad.”“I’d rather die.” Chloe made a face and handed Lily a small box. “Here, your birthday gift.”Inside the box was a pair of intricate silver butterfly earrings. The details on the wing were so detailed that they almost looked alive.“I love it,” Lily breathed. Help me put it on. “Chloe, thank you.”Chloe helped her remove the pair she was wearing.“Of course you do. It matches your dress,” Chloe grinn
A week passed.Still no word from Ethan.Every day, Lily went to Ethan’s house but only got the same treatment.A stiff ‘He’s not back’ at the entrance.They— Lily, Chloe, and Miles— called his phone every day. And every time it went straight to voicemail. They had wanted to file a missing person’s report, but her father had discouraged them.“He’s an adult now,” he’d said gently. “And it is not our place. His legal guardian would have to make the call. Let’s wait till she returns. The house staff aren’t acting concerned, are they? It means they know where he is.”Lily understood what her father was saying, but she was still worried. Ethan had never hidden anything from her. Or been out of contact ever, not to mention this long. He could have said something before leaving, even a simple goodbye. She was going to give him a piece of her mind when he got back.*************************************************************************************************************“Lily, sweetie,”
Graduation day arrived, bright and clear. It was a beautiful ceremony— long speeches, falshing cameras, a slideshow of pictures of their time at school— but Lily wasn’t paying attention. She sat quietly with Chloe and Miles, half listening, her thoughts everywhere but the stage.
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 claime
Lily stood on the stage, putting finishing touches to the vases by the couple’s chair. Around her, staff were setting up rows of chairs and rolling out the carpet. She had been working with the floral designers and event planners for months— choosing the flowers, the arrangement styles, ordering, and the logistics of the deliveries. Lily hardly worked on weddings, but each time she did, she found it was her favorite type of event. Helping couples bring to life the wedding of their dreams gave her pride.The bride had chosen roses as the central flower for the event. Together, they had looked through a variety of old-world roses, garden roses, and modern roses, trying to pick the perfect flower before finally settling on Quicksand roses. They symbolize the admiration a couple has for one another. A rose-covered arch stood at the entrance of the venue, brimming with romantic charm. It had taken the floral designers 3 hours to make. Lily couldn’t do much but hand flowers to them as they
That night, Lily had a group call with Chloe and Miles. It was their tradition since college to have a call at least once a month, as long as all three of them were free.They caught up on what everyone had been doing in the past month.Miles was the one to bring it up. “Ethan is back. Did you guys see the group chat?”Chloe’s expression darkened as she slammed her beer can on the table. “Saw. Everyone was tagging us, asking for his location. If I see another @Chloe, I’ll hit someone. Ethan is still the same,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “He came back after 5 years and didn’t tell anyone. We found out about his grand return home from someone else, the same way we found out he had left.”Lily didn’t respond. She continued sketching the new floral arrangement, her hands slightly trembling.Chloe noticed her silence. “Lily, you good?”“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “It’s just surprising. I thought he left for good.”She didn’t tell them she had gone to look for him at the restaurant. O
Chloe was waiting for her at her apartment.Lily walked in and saw her lounging on the couch. Dressed in a skintight, gold colored, designer dress and her hair tied in a sleek ponytail.“What took you so long?” Chloe asked, looking up from her phone. “I thought you didn’t work on Sundays.”“I went home.” Lily walked into the living area, dropping her bag and key on the coffee table.“Oh, how are uncle and aunty?”Lily poured herself a glass of water from the jug and took her seat on the floor and rested her back on the couch before answering. “They’re fine.”“I should visit sometime. I miss Aunty’s soup.” Lily hesitated. “I saw him too.”Chloe sat up, her voice taking a curious tone. “Him? Him who?”Lily didn’t answer right away. She slowly placed her glass on the table.The realization dawned on Chloe. “Ethan? Ethan was at your house?”Lily nodded. “Yes. He was talking with my parents when I got there.”Chloe flopped back on the couch. “How dare he? He actually had the nerve to go t
Lily stared out the window as the sky slowly brightened. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the blue was starting to lighten into its signature morning look. For some reason, the sky looked more beautiful than usual— maybe it was her recent brush with death.Beside her, Chloe was still asleep, curled up tightly, hugging a pillow with her phone hanging dangerously close to the edge of the bed. She had fallen asleep while watching videos. Chloe didn’t do well staying in one place for long, doing nothing, but she hadn’t left Lily’s side since the accident.Lily had wanted to help her place it properly, so it wouldn’t fall, but Chloe’s bed was too far away and she couldn’t walk by herself yet. Her gaze fell on the bulge that was her leg right through the blanket. It was wrapped up in a cast and would be for the next three months.There was a soft knock at the door.Aspen stepped in wearing casual clothes, a brown envelope in his left hand and a basket in his right. Lily turned, and their eyes
Lily’s eyelids fluttered. Her head ached like a concert was going on inside. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt heavy. She groaned softly as she lifted a hand to her forehead. “Lily. Lily.”It was Chloe’s voice. Chloe was here? No, they couldn’t be together.She had already left Chloe at the club. Then...after that, she got into an accident.Where was she now?Her eyes finally opened, and the blurry haze slowly sharpened enough for her to make out the three figures standing around her bed— Aspen, Chloe, and Ethan stared at her. Their expressions flickered between worry, relief, and exhaustion. How long has it been since the accident? Chloe leaned over and pressed the call button on the wall. “Are you uncomfortable anywhere, sweetie?”Lily started to shake her head, but winced as pain flashed through her body. She stopped and gave a small nod instead.She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t even hear herself. Ethan stepped away from the bed, turned to pour wate
The room was quiet. Only the steady beeping of the heart monitor could be heard. Chloe laid on another bed, her gaze trained on Lily. The doctor had said Lily’s CT scans were okay and she only had a slight concussion. If she woke up within the next 24 hours, they would be in the clear. But for now, all they could do was wait. Aspen stood near the window, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone. He was on the phone with his secretary. They had finally found out why the accident happened. Some rich college kids had been having a street racing competition, and some of them were even drunk. One of them turned into another road, wanting to use it as a shortcut so he could win. The road happened to be the same one Lily's taxi was on. The driver tried to avoid the crash by swerving to the other side of the road, but the drunk driver still crashed into them. The taxi driver had taken most of the damage due to his intentional positioning of the car. He had become the benefacto
Lily was sitting in the car, hands on her lap, but her mind was still in the shop. She wondered if Ethan would be able to handle it. Jack didn’t think like normal people. It only took a short moment, but it felt like an eternity had passed. Her fingers hovered over her phone, debating whether to call the police.Slam.Through the window, she saw Jack running to his car as if chased by spirits. He yanked his car door open and sped off.Moments later, Ethan stepped out of the shop and locked the door behind him. He walked around the car and got in silently. His expression was unreadable.When he was settled in, Lily turned to him“Thank you for earlier.” She said softly.Ethan didn’t answer at first. He reached out and gently dropped her shop keys into her lap.“I locked up without asking if you left anything inside.”“I didn’t forget anything.”He nodded. “Okay.”They sat in silence. His hands rested on the wheel, fingers drumming softly.Then he spoke again.“Let’s get married.”Lily
Chloe had still not met Ethan, she didn’t want to. Lily tried to set up a meeting, but Chloe rejected her each time. Chloe hadn’t forgiven him and didn’t plan to. Chloe: I’m going on a 2 month long trip.Chloe’s message came in just as Lily got home. She settled into her couch and opened the chat interface.Lily: “Where are you going?”Chloe: “The Maldives. Ocean therapy.”Lily: “Okay, have fun.”Chloe: “You have plans with him tonight, right?”Lily: “Yes. Dinner.”Chloe: “If he hurts you, I’ll come back and beat him up.”Lily thought about Ethan’s height and how he towered over her. Then she thought of Chloe, who would pant if she had to climb 2 flights of stairs.Lily: “I’d rather you didn’t.”Chloe: “You’re not even married, and you’re already protecting him. What happened to sisters before husbands?”Lily: “I’m protecting you. You don’t even exercise. How are you going to take on Ethan?”Chloe: “True. Then I’ll pay someone to beat him up.”Lily: “That’s illegal.”Chloe: “The thi
Chloe was waiting for her at her apartment.Lily walked in and saw her lounging on the couch. Dressed in a skintight, gold colored, designer dress and her hair tied in a sleek ponytail.“What took you so long?” Chloe asked, looking up from her phone. “I thought you didn’t work on Sundays.”“I went home.” Lily walked into the living area, dropping her bag and key on the coffee table.“Oh, how are uncle and aunty?”Lily poured herself a glass of water from the jug and took her seat on the floor and rested her back on the couch before answering. “They’re fine.”“I should visit sometime. I miss Aunty’s soup.” Lily hesitated. “I saw him too.”Chloe sat up, her voice taking a curious tone. “Him? Him who?”Lily didn’t answer right away. She slowly placed her glass on the table.The realization dawned on Chloe. “Ethan? Ethan was at your house?”Lily nodded. “Yes. He was talking with my parents when I got there.”Chloe flopped back on the couch. “How dare he? He actually had the nerve to go t
That night, Lily had a group call with Chloe and Miles. It was their tradition since college to have a call at least once a month, as long as all three of them were free.They caught up on what everyone had been doing in the past month.Miles was the one to bring it up. “Ethan is back. Did you guys see the group chat?”Chloe’s expression darkened as she slammed her beer can on the table. “Saw. Everyone was tagging us, asking for his location. If I see another @Chloe, I’ll hit someone. Ethan is still the same,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “He came back after 5 years and didn’t tell anyone. We found out about his grand return home from someone else, the same way we found out he had left.”Lily didn’t respond. She continued sketching the new floral arrangement, her hands slightly trembling.Chloe noticed her silence. “Lily, you good?”“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “It’s just surprising. I thought he left for good.”She didn’t tell them she had gone to look for him at the restaurant. O
Lily stood on the stage, putting finishing touches to the vases by the couple’s chair. Around her, staff were setting up rows of chairs and rolling out the carpet. She had been working with the floral designers and event planners for months— choosing the flowers, the arrangement styles, ordering, and the logistics of the deliveries. Lily hardly worked on weddings, but each time she did, she found it was her favorite type of event. Helping couples bring to life the wedding of their dreams gave her pride.The bride had chosen roses as the central flower for the event. Together, they had looked through a variety of old-world roses, garden roses, and modern roses, trying to pick the perfect flower before finally settling on Quicksand roses. They symbolize the admiration a couple has for one another. A rose-covered arch stood at the entrance of the venue, brimming with romantic charm. It had taken the floral designers 3 hours to make. Lily couldn’t do much but hand flowers to them as they
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 claime