All Chapters of The Last Tulip Blooms Alone: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Ms. Alden, without $50,000 and a marrow match, you've got maybe two weeks."I clutched the paper Dr. Carter handed me—my death warrant in black ink.Then I saw him.Hemi Spencer. My ex-husband. Ten years gone. Now top of the Forbes list.He was holding Julia Crook. She gripped an ultrasound like it meant something sacred.The second he saw me, he froze. Then came that look—cold and cutting."What are you doing here?"Same face. Just sharper. Like success had polished him clean."What, you forget how to talk?"I hid the report behind my back. "What a coincidence. You're rich now. Spot me twenty grand?"His stare didn't even twitch. "Elise Alden. You haven't changed. Still rotten to the core."Julia leaned in, eyes full of fake sympathy. "So you're the ex-wife who bailed when he had leukemia? Twenty grand? That's not even one of my earrings."He held her tighter, voice soft. "Glad I found you. And now we have our baby."I smiled, barely, and turned before the tears could sl

Chapter 2

The ring was a pigeon blood ruby—Hemi cut and polished it himself, spent every cent from his first project on it.He said he wanted to give me a good life.But just when things started to look up, he got diagnosed with leukemia.I was the only match.After the test, they told me I'd never have kids.Hemi loved kids. If he knew, he would've let himself die.So I stood by his hospital bed, fake tears and shaky voice, begging him to let me go. Said I didn't want to be tied to a dying man.I signed the divorce papers in front of him. Watched his heart break.Then I turned around and signed the donor forms.That was ten years ago.Now the infection's taken root. There's no donor for me.Just death.I wired the $30,000 to Mr. Crevan, the funeral director.[Please find me a plot. I want it covered in flowers.]Right as I was heading back to my rented apartment, a message came through.[Ms. Alden, I'm Hemi Spencer's attorney. The bracelet you broke costs $30,000. Pay up or face

Chapter 3

Blood wouldn't stop pouring from my nose. I wiped it away, dizzy.[I'm not feeling well.]Hemi's reply? Ice cold.[Lying again for cash? I just sent you five grand. Get the meds. Now.]I forced a smile.[Busted. Be right there.]Rain was dumping. No umbrella. I walked forever before a cab finally pulled up.Outside her place, I called Julia again and again. No answer.Had to call him.He said, "She's asleep. Wait. Give her the meds when she wakes up. Don't leave."The rain stopped just before she finally opened the door.Julia gave me this smug little smirk. "Oops, fell asleep. Don't need the meds now. Hemi's like that—can't stand to see me in pain. He's coming back soon. He's always stuck to me and the baby. You should go. You're just an eyesore."She shut the door like she won.I chucked the meds in the trash. On the way back, I collapsed.Woke up two days later, hooked to machines.Dr. Carter looked grim. The infection had spread. Less than a week left.I checked my

Chapter 4

"Take your money and get out!"With everyone staring, all smug and smugger, I got down and picked up the checks.In the bathroom, my phone buzzed.Mr. Crevan: [Ms. Alden, your burial plot has been secured. Any special requests for the funeral?]I stared at the screen, then typed: [Tulips. I want tulips planted everywhere.]I used to love tulips.Hemi once spent a whole year learning to grow them. Turned our tiny garden into a sea of color—just for me.But when I left, he dragged his weak, post-op body into the rain and ripped out every last one.I hid in the shadows, heart cracking, and fished them out of the trash. One by one.I dried them. Some got ground down and pressed into a necklace I kept over my heart. The rest, I turned into dried flowers.Even my wedding bouquet was tulips—stitched with golden thread.I still saw that day. Hemi standing there, marrying me. It was burned in my mind.I sold the bouquet so he could eat better.One dried tulip—I saved that. It's goi

Chapter 5

Hemi stood there like he'd been struck by lightning.The ring slipped from his fingers. "She can't be dead. You're lying!"The nurse stayed calm, pulled out the death certificate."Ms. Alden was very sick. Her body couldn't take it anymore. She passed away three days ago."He froze, muttering like a man possessed. "She can't be dead... She hasn't seen me happy yet..."Julia freaked. Grabbed his arm. "Hemi, it's time. Let's just do the ceremony. Elise is messing with you—announcing her death today, of all days."She wouldn't let go.Hemi jerked his hand free. "Where is her body?"The nurse glanced at her watch. "She's scheduled for cremation in two hours."Everyone froze. No one moved.Then Hemi bolted. Jumped into his Lambo and tore off like a madman.His chest felt like it was caving in. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't accept she was gone.He burst into the crematorium, tossed down a black card, and shouted, "No one touches Elise! No one!"The staff scrambled, then quietly

Chapter 6

But every expert said the same thing—once someone's gone, that's it. No coming back.Hemi's heart twisted in pieces.Day after day, he drowned himself in liquor, chasing a miracle that never came. Hoping, just hoping, Elise would somehow open her eyes.One night, Julia crept into his room. Bottles everywhere.Hemi was a wreck, slumped on the floor.She tiptoed closer. "Hemi?"In his haze, he saw someone who felt like home.He grabbed her, voice raw. "Elise? You came back... You're here...""It's me, Hemi."His arms dropped. The warmth in his eyes froze over. "You're not Elise. Get out."Julia flinched, blinking back tears. "I know you're hurting. But she's gone. I'm your fiancée."She couldn't let go of that title—Mrs. Spencer. The marriage was already official. All that was left was the ceremony.Her voice cracked. "Elise did this on purpose. She hid her illness just to ruin our wedding—"Hemi slapped her."You're not even worthy of saying her name. Get out. I never want

Chapter 7

Three days of nonstop backlash later, the hospital finally cracked.Dr. Carter dropped a statement:[In light of the online speculation affecting our hospital, I feel obligated to clarify the facts. Ms. Elise Alden passed away from a severe bone marrow infection. Unfortunately, a compatible donor was never found in time.[The infection originated from a previous donation she made to her ex-husband, Mr. Hemi Spencer. No follow-up treatment was administered after the procedure.[The wedding gift she left for Mr. Spencer was a final gesture of goodwill. Until her passing, she insisted this information remain confidential. However, due to the ongoing misinformation and public attacks, I can no longer remain silent. Ms. Alden donated the entirety of Mr. Spencer's compensation to charity.[I urge those responsible for spreading falsehoods to issue a public apology.]Hemi read it.Felt like his chest had been ripped open and set on fire. He broke down, crying so hard the world blurred.

Chapter 8

Elise used her scholarship to cover tuition. She made valedictorian, got into a top school, and still found a way to pay for Hemi's education too.They were inseparable.Hemi was the school's untouchable heartthrob. Elise? The bold, fearless queen.She once said she was born to protect him.Then came the flood of comments:[I thought they were endgame. Never imagined their story would end like this—or that someone like her would be dragged through the mud.][Their love was real. So was their loyalty. The people who dragged her name through the dirt owe her everything. Elise loved with her whole heart. She deserved better. She deserves peace.]People who'd trashed her online came back to say sorry. Left flowers at her grave.Now all eyes turned to Julia, demanding one thing—an apology.But she stayed holed up at home, too scared to show her face. Crowds swarmed outside. Someone even splashed paint on her door.She started plotting—maybe she could cash out and disappear. As lon

Chapter 9

She even gave him her life.And this was how it ended.Hemi's company tanked. Stocks crashed. Brands dropped him. His socials blew up with hate.He didn't care.He dumped the company, sold off everything at a loss, and bought a camper with what was left—just enough to carry the freezer that held Elise's body.She was so beautiful. And so scared of the dark.How could he leave her buried in the cold?He remembered it all—how he used to pick her up after every shift. How she always saved him the first bite of dinner.They went from squeezing into a shoebox apartment to building their own company. When they made their first big check, he slipped a ruby ring on her finger.Promised her the world.Then life turned cruel. All their happiness stopped the day his congenital leukemia flared up. And Elise faded, little by little, giving everything to keep him alive.She sold their company.But meds were expensive. Surgeries worse.So she scrubbed dishes. Ran deliveries.Still showe

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