Todos los capítulos de The Bouquet That Was Never Sent: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 8

“Diana, there’s food in the kitchen. Fix yourself something to eat. You took too long, so we didn’t wait for you. Don’t be upset. You’re our good girl, remember?”Before I could respond, the call ended. I swallowed the rest of my words as I listened to the dial tone.‘You’re our good girl.’Those words had become a familiar refrain ever since Lydia moved in next door.I was still in kindergarten when it all began.One day, I found Lydia crouching outside her front door, reluctant to go home. After talking with her for a while, I learned that she came from a single-parent family.Her mother was always busy with work and had little time to look after her, so I invited her over to our house.Mom was surprised to see her at first. However, after hearing Lydia’s story at the dinner table, her eyes softened with affection.“Poor sweetheart. You can come over to our house for dinner from now on.”From that day forward, Lydia became a regular guest in our home.She was lively and out

The next morning, I was jolted awake by the commotion in the living room.Several large suitcases had been laid out across the floor. My parents were busy packing things into them.“Lydia, it gets hot overseas. Make sure you protect yourself from the sun while you’re out.”“All right, Mrs. Kensington.”With an ice cream in hand, Lydia stood to the side, smiling from ear to ear.I was just about to return to my room when a basketful of clothes was shoved into my hands.“Stop standing around daydreaming. Help pack these for Lydia.”I set the basket down on the floor. Jerome frowned and asked, “I only asked you to help pack her clothes. What’s with that attitude?”I met his gaze coldly and gave him a faint smile.“Aren’t you worried something might happen to the things I pack?”Jerome’s eyes narrowed at that. “What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?”I shook my head with a bitter smile.What trick?It was just that, once upon a time, I had given Lydia a hair tie as a g

“What… How is this possible?! How could Lydia possibly be Mr. Kensington’s illegitimate daughter…?”Mom laughed coldly. Her gaze settled on my father, who sat hunched on the sofa, and her voice turned venomous.“It’s no wonder you didn’t show the slightest displeasure when I brought her home. I never imagined you’d stoop to doing something so disgusting!”Dad sat on the couch, clutching his head, mumbling incoherently, unable to utter a single intelligible word.Lydia frantically reached for Jerome’s arm, only for him to wrench himself free.Her eyes flew wide. Tears quickly welled up.Overwhelmed, she buried her face in her hands.“I was just a child back then! Was it so wrong for me to want a complete family? Why should I be blamed for the mistakes they made?”Jerome looked at her without a trace of sympathy. “What about Diana then?”Lydia’s sobs faltered at his question.“You wanted a family, so you took it from Diana? Was she supposed to give up everything she had just be

In the days that followed, I spent my time collecting data, conducting experiments and writing reports.Of course, I also took photographs of Summit Lake from different angles and at different times of day.It was nothing like the graduation trip I had once imagined. Somehow, it was more than enough. It was beautiful in its own way.When the university entrance exam results were released, I felt no surprise at all, only an overwhelming sense of relief.My score was more than enough to earn me a full-tuition scholarship to Summit Lake University.From that moment on, I knew I could build a good life for myself without needing any of them.Two days before the semester began, I descended the mountain with the survey team.As I was packing up in the hotel room, I noticed a crowd gathered outside, all talking about something.I leaned against the window and looked down.Lydia’s mother was kneeling on the ground, her face covered by her hands. Judging by the way she was clutching he