Petals Shed in the Night

Anna Stark spent ten years finally winning Neil Irons's heart—an anonymous admirer bearing unrequited love, now at last Neil's fiancée whom he personally acknowledged.

And yet, just two weeks before the wedding, she gave up.

"Hey, chief," she said calmly, putting the filled form on the supervisor's desk. "I'm volunteering to transfer to the northwestern research center—just add me to the list."

The supervisor looked up in shock behind his computer. "Wait, I thought you were marrying Neil next month! And we all know you're here for him in the first place, but you're saying you're heading northwest now?"

Anna felt the lump in her throat but spoke up before the supervisor could continue further, "Just approve it, chief."

Those around her knew how hard she clung to Neil over the years, giving up on promotions just to stay with him as his assistant.

He always kept people at arm's reach, but she possessed extraordinary patience.

It took him ten years to get used to her hovering around him constantly, handling all the menial stuff while sparing him from all unnecessary social occasions.

And from the perspective of everyone else, Neil had offered her plenty of special treatment. After all, the genius who was born aloof remembered her birthday, and would make an exception to let her stay in the anteroom of his lab when she wasn't feeling well.

However, only Anna knew that he celebrated her birthday by sending her a generous wire transfer, since he wasn't bothered to spend time picking a gift.

And he worked all night, leaving her alone in the anteroom coughing and feverish, without showing concern in any form.

Naturally, none of them would know that Neil only proposed to her because of the kidnapping case two months prior, and not because she had finally won his heart.

She had stormed into the abandoned factory alone and unarmed, volunteering to take Neil's place as a hostage.

They kicked her to the ground, their clubs bludgeoning her back with audible thumps.

It infuriated them that she didn't utter a sound of pain, and one grabbed her hair, slamming her head against the cold concrete floor.

Nonetheless, she bought enough time until the police arrived, but she herself was severely injured and nearly died.

When she finally woke up, she found Neil sitting beside her bed, even though he rarely left his lab unless it was absolutely necessary.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse as he rasped, "When we both have time, we should meet each other's parents and discuss our engagement."

After spending years around Neil, Anna clearly saw the guilt in Neil's eyes. So that was the reason he proposed.

Even so, she accepted it brazenly even if it was moral blackmail, just to stand a chance to be with him.

If Josie York never showed up, she might have been able to keep deluding herself for life.

As she left her supervisor's office and left the administration building, the large LED screen outside was broadcasting an international summit live.

There was a small crowd gathered below the screen, looking up and excitedly whispering among themselves.

"Look! It's Neil and Josie!"

"They look so good together... I heard that he personally supervised her thesis this time."

"A cold man like him, instructing her personally… Her warmth really melted her cold heart!"

The chatter left Anna dazed—everyone was convinced Josie was perfect for Neil, while few knew that Anna was engaged to Neil or that she had been with him for so long.

In a close-up on the screen, Josie was leaning toward Neil, whispering in his ear, while he leaned toward her as well and listened intently.

It was an intimate position but Neil seemed comfortable with it, even though he usually made Anna stand at least ten feet away even when she talked to him—as if afraid her breath would reach his skin.

She had always thought that no one would overcome the distance he set against everyone else, only for Josie to expose a completely different side to the man.

Anna certainly remembered the first time she heard him say Josie's name, when he was staring at a messy pile of files but smiling nonetheless. "Silly Josie. She messed up the order of the samples again."

There was no accusation in his tone—only a sense of wry acceptance.

Josie was the daughter of Neil's mentor, and with the man pulling strings, she was allowed to be on the same team as Neil.

She was like the sun in summer—bright and unrestrained.

She would snatch the pencil from Neil's fingers to do her own calculations, handing him a drink from a cup she used, and pat him hard on the shoulder and laugh while he was deep in thought.

And Neil, initially stiffening at Josie's approach, eventually tolerated her messing up his desk. He would drink anything she handed him—even stuff he never drank before, and smiled as she told her jokes.

Anna mused to herself then that she might even have let all of that slide, if not for that moment she witnessed.

Josie and Neil were in Neil's lab, when she saw Josie standing on her toes to kiss Neil's cheek.

The same man who would always freeze up and pull away when Anna tried to so much as touch him simply paused for one second.

His ears were red, but he never pushed her away.

If not for that, Anna would never have known that Neil was just like any other clumsy youth when truly in love, his heart pumping and his principles crumbling just like everyone else.

Anna returned to the apartment, bought for their wedding, where Neil hadn't set foot in since she had it renovated.

She calmly opened the closet and carefully took out all her clothes, folding them neatly.

She stared at the furniture and other trinkets around the house, silent and taunting her for all the dreams she had of a happy life with Neil.

Getting several cardboard boxes, she carefully packed anything else that was hers and scheduled a courier pickup.

When she was finished, her phone screen lit up—her transfer to the northwest had been approved.

Almost at the same time, Neil sent a text.

[My flight is CA1837, expected to land in Jormund at 8 pm tomorrow. Pick me up.]

Anna stared at the text for a long while, and eventually calmly replied: [Can't. Busy.]