He Nurtured Roses, While I Grew Wild

The heat at home was stifling, so I had two popsicles just to cool down.

I started thinking about what I should do next.

Should I confront him directly, or milk the young master for a big payout and disappear?

The latter didn't seem like something I could stomach.

His company was about to go public, with a healthy cash flow. Gavin held ten percent.

I regretted borrowing money from him back then.

Feeling irritated, my thoughts drifted back to the girl's face.

I suddenly realized there was a slight resemblance between us.

Just then, a friend called.

"Diana, have you seen the trending news? Today is the coming-of-age ceremony for the Green family's little princess. Her photos are everywhere."

"Sometimes I think about it, and I really envy them. They're born winners, already ahead at the starting line. And us? We have to rely on ourselves, scrabbling around like slaves just to survive."

The camera shifted to Daisy Green, gracefully accepting interviews from the media.

"Hmm...my favorite gift. This little cat, Seven."

She smiled as she gently teased the cat, which was purring contentedly in her arms.

Lucky in her embrace was uncharacteristically well-behaved.

No wonder it always bared its teeth at me. It turns out it already had an owner.

"Because it was given to me by someone I love. Seven is our child, a rescue we adopted and raised together."

"Who's the lucky person that caught your eye?"

The male host asked, eyes full of admiration as he glanced around at the young elites present.

"My Gavin. Isn't it obvious?"

She smiled sweetly, tilting slightly to the side, and just like that, Gavin appeared on screen.

His eyes were filled with affection, deep in thought, yet brimming with boundless love.

He let out a sigh, reaching out to gently stroke the girl's hair.

"A rose you've raised with your own hands... how could you let someone else pick it?"

A sudden scream came from Nancy, my friend.

"What does that mean? What is Gavin trying to say! Aren't you two..."

Gavin suddenly lifted Daisy into his arms, and Nancy's words were drowned out by Daisy's excited squeals.

He lowered his head slightly as the girl's lips trailed from his forehead down to his chin, carefully tracing his features.

Daisy was visibly nervous.

"Gavin, will my parents approve of our marriage?"

"They will."

"We're perfectly matched, destined to be together."

Gavin didn't hesitate for a second.

I started gathering up the things Gavin had left around the house.

At the same time, I calculated how many years it would take to pay back the money I had borrowed from him after his company went public.

It was no more than three years.

Stretching my back, I began to look forward to that day.

My phone buzzed again. It was Gavin, asking if I missed him while I was at home.

"Honey, what are you doing?"

"Honey, I miss you. The launch event was filled with old men and women, blabbering on about so-called 'experts.' Bah, a bunch of old fossils."

"Honey, I really, really miss you."

...

Then, Gavin called me. A strong sense of foreboding told me this was no ordinary call.

Daisy knew about me.

Amid the sounds of soft, intimate whispers, the girl's voice came, still thick with desire.

"Gavin... I, I love you so much."

Gavin's voice was hoarse, and the sound of clothes being removed was unmistakably clear.

"I didn't touch you before because you were too young."

"Daisy, don't say it hurts. You brought this on yourself."

My entire body went rigid, and I was overwhelmed by a wave of nausea.

As the thought formed, I was already rushing to the bathroom, vomiting until I had nothing left in my stomach, my body convulsing with painful spasms.

"You're not gentle at all, Gavin. I hate you..."

"Gavin."

The girl's gentle reminder brought Gavin back to what little consciousness he had left.

"Sorry, sorry, Daisy."

No one replied after that. Daisy had fallen asleep, exhausted.

Tears streamed down my face. I had thought I could accept all of this calmly, that I would immerse myself in work, let time dull the pain.

But in truth, I couldn't do it.

The combined pain in my stomach and gut left me too weak to even hang up the phone.

The signal on the other end of the line was spotty, and I could tell Gavin had moved to another room.

Bill White had been waiting, and his teasing voice came through.

"So, how was it? Satisfying?"

"It was alright. Not the overwhelmingly sweet experience I had imagined."

Gavin chuckled lightly.

"I've kept this bottled up for a while. You're the only one I can talk to about it."

"Daisy is so close to me. We used to sleep together when she was little, but later on, I stopped letting her."

"You know, back then, she had just turned 18. She didn't know anything! Fresh out of the bath, she would just crawl into my arms."

He sighed heavily.

"It's my fault too. I've always had feelings for her, but I've kept them buried."

"I'm so much older than her. How could I even think of having these feelings for a kid? I'm really not a good person."

A crisp sound rang out. It seemed Gavin had slapped himself.

"I figured I was young and impulsive. I found someone as a stand-in to take care of my needs, but I was terrified of scaring the little girl."

Bill paused for a moment, then asked why he was so adamant about having a child.

"Doesn't it disgust you to be with someone you don't love?"

"Daisy's health isn't good, and she can't have children. Diana Smith looks like her, so the child would probably resemble Daisy too. That way, Daisy wouldn't have to suffer so much. You know the Jones family needs an heir."

"Damn, you really never loved Diana, didn't you?"

Bill was stunned.

"Gavin, you should win an Oscar. It's rare to find a girl like that these days. Back when you swooped in and stole her from me, I was heartbroken. But now? I don't even care anymore. She's been used up anyway."

"Bill, don't speak about her like that."

Gavin hesitated for a moment before brushing past the topic.

"But Diana's so stubborn. She never wanted to have a child with me. In the end, I had to switch her birth control pills with vitamins."

"By now, she should be pregnant."