Chapter 6: The Rose That Never Wilts

I arranged a courier. An hour later, the FedEx guy sent me a video.

In the video, Derek stood in the middle, surrounded by his friends:

"I told you, how could we really break up? See, she’s sending gifts to make up."

Though he was mocking, his tone was sour:

"Derek, you really found a good girlfriend—treating you like a king. What does she see in you?"

"Exactly. If it’s about money, which of us isn’t loaded? If it’s about looks, Caleb is way more handsome than you—always wins campus heartthrob by a landslide."

The FedEx courier, a guy in his forties with a Chicago Bears cap, handed over the package and grinned, "You folks sure have a lot of drama," before heading out.

Derek listened to the comments, his face tense, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but reveal a smile. He coughed, pretending not to care:

"Actually, no need for gifts. If she just apologized, I’d be fine. I’m not that petty."

Someone couldn’t take it: "Then give the gift to me, I’ll pay you."

Derek immediately changed face: "No, my girlfriend gave it to me. No one else gets it."

He seemed to glance at Caleb on purpose:

"So what if you’re handsome? Love isn’t just about looks."

"Actually, I don’t even want to forgive Aubrey. She was really too much this time."

"But, seeing her looking so eager, I’ll forgive her one last time."

"Oh, tonight’s bill is on me, as compensation for wasting everyone’s time."

Everyone was disgusted by his fake generosity, but they had no choice but to turn away.

Only Caleb looked at the box, uncharacteristically not angry, and even said:

"Pay the cash on delivery fee first. The FedEx guy has another delivery—don’t hold him up."

Sure enough, the courier was standing by, looking anxious but not daring to speak. Derek generously paid, then stuffed an extra hundred bucks as a tip. The FedEx guy happily called him boss.

After paying, Derek couldn’t wait to open the box:

"I bet it’s a tie. Aubrey worked three months of overtime to save up for my Valentine’s gift."

"I told her a regular one was fine, but she insisted on not shortchanging me. Sometimes, I really don’t know what to do with her."

"Huh? There’s also a watch, cufflinks—wait, why do they look familiar..."

The more Derek looked, the worse his face became. One familiar item after another appeared, and at the end was a box with a rose inside.

When our love was at its strongest, Derek gave me a bouquet of roses. I’d half-joked:

"I don’t want roses. Flowers wilt, and I don’t want our love to fade."

Derek had laughed proudly at the time:

"Then I’ll give you a rose that will never wilt."

I remember that afternoon in his cramped college dorm room, sunlight slanting through the blinds. He pulled out a small box and, with a shy grin, handed me the mineral rose he’d made by hand—crystals and tiny diamonds sparkling under the fluorescent light. My heart had felt weightless. For a moment, I’d truly believed in forever.

So I always thought Derek loved me.

I was naive then, not knowing love had its weight. I didn’t know that Derek’s pride, suspicion, sensitivity, stubbornness, and harsh words all came before love.

So, the rose will never wilt. But the person holding the rose will let go first.

Because now, freedom, respect, and trust come before my love for Derek.

I finally realized that sometimes, what we fight for the hardest is the thing we need to let go. And maybe, just maybe, there’s something better waiting for me—something honest, something kind, something that doesn’t make me question my own worth every single day. For the first time in a long time, I believed that could be true.

I closed the door behind me, heart pounding, ready to see what tomorrow might bring.