Beneath the Trampled Rose

I should have been able to clock out and go home and rest after my last delivery.

But I could not make myself move as I stood outside the private room with the order in my hands.

The voice inside belonged to the woman I had once loved more than my own life, and she was also the one I had hurt the most.

I tightened my grip on the Black Forest cake and pushed the door open when I realized the order was about to be delayed.

The room was full of familiar faces, but I just pulled my cap lower and pretended I did not know any of them.

"I didn't expect you to come to the reunion this year again, Samantha," someone said.

I had heard that after I left, she started showing up every year, even though she had never liked these class reunions before. Meanwhile, I had never shown my face again, despite once attending every year.

"But why haven't we seen Arthur these past few years?" another person asked.

Someone explained, "You didn't know? Arthur ran off when Samantha was at her most helpless."

"Who does he think he is to show up here?"

The room was filled with sighs.

Meanwhile, Samantha said nothing as she sat among the crowd, half her face hidden in the dim light. The other half was clearly visible, but her cool eyes held no emotion at all.

I had never imagined seeing Samantha like this.

I walked to the middle of the room and asked softly, "Excuse me, which one of you is Mr. Gary Thomas? This is your cake."

Gary waved his hand. "Just put it there."

"Alright. I'll open it so you can check."

I dropped to one knee, opened the box, and checked everything according to protocol. I tried my best to hide how nervous I was, afraid someone would recognize me. Even my voice and hands were shaking.

The people around me drank and laughed. No one seemed to be paying attention. Still, under the dim lights, I could not shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

Someone then asked Samantha, "Ms. Scott, I heard you changed boyfriends again. Didn't you bring him tonight?"

Samantha smiled faintly. "No rush. He'll be here soon."

Everyone was curious about her new boyfriend, but all I wanted was to get out as fast as I could.

"It's already this late. Looks like Arthur still isn't coming this year."

The class president, Jackson, then said, "I sent him a message on WhatsApp, and he read it."

Everyone knew Samantha did not come to these reunions because she cared about her old classmates. She came to wait for me, and all I could do was pretend not to know.

"I'll video call him and ask him about it. He even replied to me just a few days ago."

The second I heard that, I hurriedly packed up the box and got ready to escape this place. But just as I turned, I bumped into the person behind me and spilled wine all over her and Samantha, who was sitting beside her.

"What's wrong with you?! Are you blind? You got wine all over me!" The woman, Nancy Jones, said furiously. Her white dress was soaked red, making the stain stand out.

Samantha's clothes were stained, too. While it wasn't that obvious, the dress looked expensive.

I kept my head down and apologized. "I'm sorry. That was my fault. How much is your dress? I'll pay for it."

Nancy snapped, "Mine isn't that expensive, but do you think you can afford Samantha's dress? You're just a delivery guy! That dress is custom-made! How many deliveries would you need to make to pay for it?"

I did not dare look at Samantha. It was true that I really could not afford a dress like that at this point in my life.

I looked at her and said, "I'm sorry. I'll find a way to pay for your dress. Please give me some time..."

She raised her eyes to me. I had a cap and a mask on, so she could only see my eyes. But she stared at me for such a long time that I felt like she could see straight through me, so I quickly lowered my head.

"This isn't something a delivery guy like you can afford. Don't tell me you're planning to write an IOU or something and just run," Nancy said.

The room burst into laughter.

I clenched my hands into fists. "Don't worry. I won't shortchange you."

Someone laughed. "Everything you're wearing probably isn't worth one of Samantha's earrings."

"Forget the gown. Call the police. Once he's at the station, he'll come up with the money fast enough."

Not the police. If they called the police, I would be exposed. My mother was still waiting for me at home.

Just as I was panicking and trying to think of a way out, my phone started ringing.

Jackson immediately blurted out in shock, "Why is your ringtone the same as Arthur's?"

He looked down at his phone repeatedly, making sure the sound really was coming from me.

Every eye in the room turned toward me, and just like that, everyone recognized who I really was.

"It's you?! Why are you delivering food?"

Those stunned looks stabbed right into me. Once the shock faded, people started sighing again. I stood there with my fists clenched, feeling like I had been stripped naked right in front of everyone.

The moment Samantha realized it was me, she stood, walked straight over, and pulled off my cap herself. Once she saw my face clearly, she let out a cold laugh. "So, it really was you."

I did not dare to look at her, and I could only turn my eyes away. "I'm sorry, Ms. Scott. How much was your dress? I'll reimburse you for it."

Someone started mocking me. "With what you make now, it'll take you forever to pay it back. If you hadn't given up on Samantha back then, half of the Scott family's company would be yours now. You wouldn't be out here delivering food instead!"

Samantha laughed coldly at that. "Him? Was he ever good enough?"

Her voice dripped with hatred and contempt, and every word struck me hard for what I had done back then.

At the time, Samantha's family had suffered a heavy blow, and the company had been on the verge of bankruptcy. Her father had also been seriously ill. Yet when she needed me most, I had chosen to break up with her instead.

She had to carry all of it alone on her shoulders back then. Not just pressure from the shareholders, but also the external debt collectors. When she got home, she still had to take care of her bedridden father.

That should have been when she needed my support the most, but I had walked away without looking back.

I could not imagine how hopeless she must have felt then. So, I understood exactly why she hated me so much.

I pulled out all the money I had on me. "I'm sorry, Ms. Scott. This is all I have right now. As for the rest, I can write an IOU first. I'll pay you back every cent."

She looked at the wrinkled bills in my hand and smiled with contempt. She then pointed at the bottles on the table. "Drink all of this, and we'll call it even."

I looked at the alcohol covering the table and remembered what the doctor had told me a few days earlier. "We suspect late-stage stomach cancer for now. No smoking or drinking. The biopsy results will be ready in five working days. Remember to come pick them up."

But if I refused to drink now, she might not show me any mercy.