Nobody could possibly wish for a more ideal family than the one he had. They moved with an effortless grace from a life of ease and entitlement.

However, I come from the kind of awful, unhappy family that no one wants. I was so poor that I couldn't offer him anything but my true intentions.

"Can you be my girlfriend?" He asked me that question again on the day of my birthday.

and I told him a secret about the tragic story of the rose: "Do you know that every time my mom was beaten by my father, he would always send roses as an apology?"

"Uh, I didn’t know about that but I felt sorry for your mom."

Then I continued, "Well if you ever want to break up with me, there are no words to tell. You can just send me roses, and I'll understand."

"So, you’re telling me now that you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked in excitement.

I smiled at him sweetly, "Yes."

He gently placed his thumb on my lips, shaking his head with a loving smile. "From this moment on, roses from me will forever be a symbol of our love, not a goodbye. Okay?"

He was my first love, just as I was his.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

Little did I know that the rose, once a symbol of hope and a promise of forever, would become a painful reminder of a love buried in the past.

And finally, he uttered the most painful words, "If that's what you want, fine, let's get a divorce!"

Cattleya’s POV

Hugo didn't come home for three days after we fought that night. I'm really upset that he didn't try to make things better between us after I told him everything. It seemed like my heart had been broken a million times already.

While I was sitting at my desk, my best friend Ariella popped up on my screen for a video call.

"Hi, Ariella..." I said while pretending to be happy enough but deep inside I wasn't. I felt like I’m just a living dead who had no choice but to live in this cruel life of mine.

When she saw my dull face, she frowned and asked, "Are you okay? Your eye bags are about to pop out. Haven't you been sleeping for days?"

"I’m fine." I shrugged my shoulders and forced a smile.

She sighed softly and said, "I know you're still struggling to accept the truth about what happened. Please, know that I'm here for you. I'm here because I'm your best friend and you're not alone in this, okay?"

I smiled at her and stammered, "T–Thank you, Ariella."