From Betrayal to Blessing novel

Spring sunlight streamed through the flower shop's glass window, draping the colorful roses in a warm, sheer glow.
I stood at the counter, my fingers brushing over a bunch of pink carnations, their faint scent lingering near my nose.
Today's my daughter Tina's fifth birthday. She loves carnations the most, saying they smell like me.
"Could you please wrap a pink carnation for me? Thanks." I looked up and gave the clerk a small smile.
"Sure, just a moment." The clerk turned to grab the wrapping paper.
A familiar voice came from behind, deliberately soft: "Wrap me 99 red roses, the best kind you have."
My body stiffened, and I slowly turned around.
It was Blake Lincoln.
He was wearing a tailored suit, his hair slicked back perfectly. After five years, he still looked just as confidentjust with a few more fine lines under his eyes.
Blake saw me too, froze for a second, then curled his lips into a smug smile: "Grace Winslet? What a coincidenceyou're here buying flowers too."
I didn't reply, just nodded.
The clerk handed me the wrapped carnations; I reached for my wallet, but Blake beat me to it and offered his card: "Let me pay for these."
"No need." I pulled my hand back and handed the money to the clerk. "Just one, I'll pay myself."
Blake's hand froze mid-air, the smile on his face fading a bit. "Still being polite to me? It's Tina's birthday, I should give a gift."
"No need," I said, grabbing the carnation and turning to leave. "We're done here."
But Blake stopped me, his eyes landing on my old canvas shoes, the edges caked with mud from helping the lady downstairs move flowerpots this morning.
"Grace, if things aren't going well for you, just say so." He pulled a black card from his wallet and pressed it into my hand. "Keep this. The password is your birthday. Buy whatever you want."
I shoved the card back, my voice icy. "Mr. Lincoln, I'm doing just fine. Don't need your charity."
"Don't push yourself," he frowned, "your shoes are worn out like this, still covered in mud, you..."
"I wear these shoes by choice, the mud's from helping an old lady out, so it's got nothing to do with whether I'm doing well or not." I cut him off, "Mr. Lincoln, why don't you mind your own business? Your rose is still waiting to be wrapped up anyway."
After saying that, I didn't look back and just walked straight out of the flower shop.
A clerk's voice came from behind, "Sir, would you like your roses wrapped?"
"Of course! Wrap them!" Blake's voice was sharp with anger, but I didn't turn around.
The carnations in my hand still had dew on them, warm like Tina's little hands.
I know, my life right now is way happier than he ever imagined.

Under the phoenix tree outside the flower shop, I was just about to take out my phone to call home when a sharp voice cut through: "Well, well, isn't that Grace Winslet? Buying just one carnation? That's pretty stingy."
I looked up to see Mia standing not far off, dressed in a designer dress, clutching a limited edition bag, flawless makeup on her face, her eyes full of sneering mockery.
Beside her stood Blake, holding that bouquet of 99 red roses, obviously waiting for her.
"What I buy is none of your business." I put my phone away, not wanting to argue with her.
"How is that none of my business?" Mia came up to me, deliberately shaking the diamond ring on her finger. "Today's our third wedding anniversary. Blake bought me 99 roses and is taking me out to a five-star restaurant tonight."
She leaned in close, lowering her voice: "Unlike some peopledivorced for five years yet can only afford a carnation to fool her child, can't even buy a decent pair of shoes."
Watching her smug face, I felt nothing but amusement.
Blake walked over, tugged on Mia's hand, but said to me, "Grace, since we're all here, why not have dinner together? It's on me."
"No thanks, I still have to go home and be with the kids." I turned to leave.
"Come on," Mia blocked me, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Are you scared seeing me all lovey-dovey with Blake makes you uncomfortable? Or maybe you just can't afford places that fancy?"
"Mia!" Blake frowned, looking like he was scolding her, but there wasn't much anger in his eyes.
I watched them sing back and forth and suddenly felt a bit bored. "Fine, I'll go with you."
Mia clearly didn't expect me to agree. She paused for a moment, then flashed a smug smile. "Well, you know your place."
We got into Blake's car. Mia sat in the passenger seat, resting that bunch of red roses on her lap, and deliberately said to me through the rearview mirror, "Grace, look how fresh these roses are. Blake said only red roses suit me."
She paused, then said, "Not like carnationsthough cheap, they're too plain, only really good to give to old folks and kids."
I knew she was hinting at me, but I didn't say a word.
Blake gripped the steering wheel and glanced at the rearview mirror. "Grace, are you... remarried now?"
"Yeah." I replied coolly.
Mia jumped in right away: "Oh, remarried? Who's the guy? Please don't say he's just some nobody. No way he could compare to Blake."
I stared out the window, then suddenly said, "Mr. Lincoln, remember that thing between you and Mia in the office back then? You even said I was immature and didn't knock."
The mood in the car instantly turned cold. Mia's face flickered, and Blake tightened his grip on the steering wheel, staying silent.
I watched their reactions, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.
Some things don't just vanish because time moves on, like they never happened.

The crystal chandelier gave off a soft glow in the restaurant. The table was covered with a spotless white tablecloth. Mia held the menu and purposely ordered my old favorite, the black truffle steak.
"Grace, wasn't this your favorite? Tonight's on me, so you better eat up." Her tone was "enthusiastic," but her eyes were full of showing off.
After the waiter left, Mia leaned back in her chair, looking at me smugly. "Grace, you probably rarely get to eat something this expensive these days, huh?"
I ignored her, but my mind involuntarily drifted back to what happened six years ago.
Back then, Blake and I had only been married for a year, and I was the Project Director at his company, managing several important projects.
One day, an intern named Mia Charles came to the company. She looked innocent and cute, and spoke sweetly.
I felt sorry for her and thought she was pretty sharp, so I took her under my wing and even arranged for her to be Blake's assistant, hoping she'd learn more.
I thought I was helping her, but turns out I was just letting the wolf in.
That night, after working late, I knew Blake was still in the office, so I made some soup and planned to bring it to him.
The office door wasn't fully shut, just cracked open. As I was about to push it, I caught Mia's sweet, delicate voice inside: "Blake, you're really great, unlike Ms. Winslet, who's always so harsh with me."
"That's just how she issharp tongue but a soft heart. Don't take it personally." Blake's voice carried a tenderness I'd never heard before.
My heart just dropped. Peeking through the crack in the doorI saw Mia sitting on Blake's lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, a shy smile on her face, while Blake ran his hand through her hair, his eyes full of adoration.
It felt like my heart was being stabbedhurt like hell.
I pushed the door open, and the bowl of soup in my hand crashed to the floor, splashing soup everywhere.
Blake and Mia froze. Mia quickly slid off his lap, head down, pretending she was scared.
Blake didn't show an ounce of guilt; instead, he frowned and said to me harshly, "Grace! Don't you know you're supposed to knock before coming in? What if you scared Mia?"
I looked at him, tears slipping down, "Blake, you're doing that kind of thing with my assistant in the office, and you still think you're in the right?"
"We were just discussing work. Don't read into it." Blake walked over to Mia and stood protectively behind her. "Mia just graduated, she's naive. Don't give her a hard time."
"I give her a hard time, seriously?" I pointed at the soup bowl on the floor, my voice shaking, "I simmered that soup for two hours, wanted to bring it to you, and this is how you treat me?"
Blake said nothing, just gave me a cold look: "You go back first. I'll clean this up."
I watched him protect Mia, and my heart completely froze.
I said nothing more, turned and ran out of the office. Behind me, I heard Mia whispering an apology, "Blake, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have let Ms. Winslet misunderstand..."
That night, I wandered the streets alone for hours, tears streaming down my face. The crack in my heart from that moment on never healed.

"Grace? Grace? What the hell are you thinking about?" Mia's voice snapped me back to reality.
I came to my senses and stared at her smug face, feeling even more disgusted inside.
She has no idea that what I was just recalling was way more painful than she ever imagined.
The next day, the moment I got to the office, HR handed me a notice I was fired.
The reason? "Work mistakes causing losses to the company," even though I just wrapped up a major project yesterday and got praised by the client.
I went to see Blake; he was sitting in his office, and Mia was in my old seat, holding my project files with a triumphant smirk.
"Why am I being fired?" I looked at Blake, my voice trembling.
"Because you're not fit for the position." Blake didn't even look up, flipping through the documents in his hand. "Mia is more capable than you. She's better suited for the Project Director role."
"She's more capable?" I pointed at Mia. "She's only been with the company a few days! What does she know about project management? Blake, you're firing me because of her, aren't you?"
"Stop making a scene." Blake finally looked up, eyes full of impatience. "The company's decision isn't up for your questioning. Pack your things and leave the office."
Seeing him act so cold and heartless, the last bit of hope I had just shattered.
From that day on, Blake and Mia went everywhere together openlythey went to work, ate, even went home togetherback to the home we once shared.
I couldn't swallow it. I had to know if there was anything between them, so I secretly followed them all the way to a five-star hotel.
Watching them walk into the hotel hand in hand felt like my heart was being sliced to pieces.
I waited outside the hotel for two hours and finally saw them come outMia wearing Blake's jacket, her hair messy, a shy smile on her face, while Blake held her waist, his eyes full of tenderness.
I rushed up and grabbed Blake's arm. "Blake, tell me, what exactly is your relationship with her? What do you think I am to you?"
Blake frowned and yanked my hand off hard. "Grace, can you stop acting crazy? We're done, alright?"
"Done?" I looked at him, tears streaming down. "We're not even divorced yet! And you're out there messing around with her? How can you live with yourself?"
Mia hid behind Blake and whispered, "Ms. Winslet, please don't do this. Blake and I genuinely love each other."
"Genuinely love?" I sneered, "You steal someone else's husband, and you've got the nerve to talk about genuine love?"
Blake saw what was going on and just dragged me into the storage room next to the hotel, locked the door, and said, "Sit here and think it over. When you finally get it and stop making a fuss, I'll let you out."
The storage room was pitch black, with just a sliver of light coming through the door crack. I sat on the floor, tears streaming down, completely overwhelmed by despair.
Later, I stepped out of the storage room, totally crushed. I wanted to expose their mess and let everyone see their real faces.
I posted online with some intimate photos of them, but not long after, the post was taken down and my account got banned.
Blake tracked me down and threatened, "Grace, if you keep messing with me, I won't hold back! Don't forget, your parents still work at my company. If you don't want them losing their jobs, you'd better behave!"
I looked at him threatening me like that and felt totally dead inside.
That night, I was in the bathroom cutting my wrist with a blade, bright red blood flowing out, trembling from the pain, but somehow feeling a bit of relief in my heart.
Luckily, the neighbor heard the commotion and rushed me to the hospital just in time, or I wouldn't have made it.
After leaving the hospital, I went straight to Blake and asked for a divorce.
He didn't hesitate even a little and agreed right away. He didn't even bother fighting over the propertybecause he knew I didn't have the energy to argue.
The divorce papers got done fast. The moment I walked out of the divorce center, I looked up at the sky and silently promised myself I'd never shed a tear for that man again.

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