Wilted Petals of Love

After having shared a wild night with Scout Saccone, I received a wedding invitation from him the day after.The couple on the cover were leaning against each other. The sight of it pierced my heart. I immediately crushed the tie in my hand into a ball and tossed it into the trash can beside me.Before I could turn around and offer my congratulations, a sharp, playful voice rang in my ears. "Scouttie, take it easy. There's still someone else here."The blood in my veins froze as I stiffly turned around. There, I saw Scout walking in with his arm around Maya Walker's slim body.The accessories he wore—weren't they the ones I had painstakingly chosen for his birthday?A bitterness filled my heart, and I couldn't stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. Before Maya, "Scouttie" was a name that belonged only to me.As the Saccone family heir and third in line in the Saccone hierarchy, he wielded enormous influence in the Hare City's circle. Everyone else referred to him as Mr. Scout

Even after all that, I couldn't resist the greed of wanting to see Scout one last time, even though I knew the person marrying him would never be me.I wanted to put an end to the eight years of feelings and the intimacy we shared that night.The next day, Maya suddenly came to see me. She said that Scout was hosting a banquet."Nora, I know you have a lot of misunderstandings about me, but it's alright. Soon, I'll officially be Scouttie's wife. I'll take care of you together with him from now on."Wear this dress and head to the front hall. Don't make Scouttie angry," she said.I glanced at the dress—it wasn't anything special, just an ordinary evening gown.It was nothing like the meticulous outfits Scout used to personally prepare for me for every important event. This dress fell far short of those.But at this point, I knew better than to expect too much. Not wanting to be late and risk upsetting Scout, I hurried to the front hall. I arrived just as the guests began to fill

Our housekeeper, Natalie Hudson, was unaware of the tension. She introduced me to Scout with a cheerful smile."Mr. Scout, this is Ms. Graham, the young lady of the house. She recently returned from Hare City. Perhaps you've met before?"Scout pressed his lips tightly together. He was staring at me without saying a word. After a moment of awkward silence, he finally spoke."Nora, it's been a while."That one word—Nora—pulled me back to the days I spent in the Saccone family.Why had he come to this wine-tasting event? Was it deliberate, or was it just for business?I was momentarily confused, but I quickly regained my composure. After all, as the leader of Hare City's elite circles, Scout attending high-profile events like this wasn't unusual.Why should I overthink it and trouble myself unnecessarily? With that thought, I responded with deliberate detachment."Mr. Scout, your presence at this event truly elevates the occasion."Perhaps my smile was too distant because Scout's