Not My Baby

The Wrong Flowers

"I already ate. I'm not hungry," I replied.

Then I looked at the bouquet in her hands and added calmly, "We've been together for so many years, Vanessa. Did you forget I'm allergic to lilies?"

If I remembered correctly, lilies were Logan's favorite flowers.

For a second, the air went still.

Vanessa froze. Then she quickly turned and threw the bouquet outside.

"I just thought they looked pretty when I saw them," she explained. "I forgot about your allergy. When I get off work tomorrow, I'll buy you roses instead. Okay?"

I thought, 'My resignation should be approved tomorrow. Once it is, I'm packing my suitcase and leaving. Olivia's flight is only delayed by a few hours, so she'll be here this afternoon.

'By tomorrow, we'll already be talking about the wedding. And those flowers? Vanessa can give them to that b*stard.'

I didn't answer.

I simply continued packing my clothes, ironing each shirt before placing it neatly into my suitcase.

Vanessa set the pastries down and murmured, "Something came up at work recently. Can we postpone the wedding for a few days?"

Her voice softened as she purred, "Daniel, I know you won't make things difficult for me."

In the past, no matter how badly we argued, I was always the one who gave in. I never wanted to make things hard for her because I loved her.

Even at the wedding, if something went wrong, I would only ask a few questions.

If she needed help, I would rush to fix it. If she didn't need help, I would comfort her until she was happy again.

But this time, I stayed silent.

Vanessa seemed ready for me to comfort her, but when I said nothing, she looked surprised and moved closer.

Then she frowned.

"Why are you only ironing your own clothes?" she asked. "What am I supposed to wear when I go out later?"

I answered calmly, "There's another steamer. You can do it yourself."

"Are you seriously upset just because I bought the wrong flowers?" she muttered. "Fine, don't help me if you don't want to."

Then she changed the subject. "Come with me to the hospital later to visit Logan. A few old friends are going too. If you don't show up, he might take it personally."

My hands paused. "Okay."

To be honest, I wanted to see for myself just how badly injured Logan was that Vanessa had to spend so much time and energy on him.

So I went to the hospital with her.

The moment we reached the door of his room, Logan rushed toward Vanessa and kissed her on the cheek.

"Vanessa, you're finally here," he breathed happily. "I missed you."

Vanessa stiffened and pushed him away immediately.

"Logan," she reminded him quickly, "my boyfriend also came to see you."

Only then did Logan seem to notice me standing beside her.

He looked at me with an innocent expression, as if he had only made an honest mistake.

"Sorry, Daniel," he said. "A kiss on the cheek is just how we've greeted each other since we were kids. You're not mad, are you?"

Then he smiled.

"Vanessa and I grew up together. We're just close friends. Honestly, if anything were going to happen between us, you probably never would've had a chance, so there's really no need to overthink it."

His words sounded harmless, but the look he gave me was full of provocation.

The friends around us noticed the tension and fell silent.

I smiled.

I didn't care about their little display of intimacy anymore, but I still couldn't help mocking him.

"Vanessa told me you were in a serious accident and kept threatening to hurt yourself," I remarked. "I thought you were in such bad shape that you needed her watching over you for two days straight."

I looked him over. "But here you are, running and jumping around like you're perfectly fine."

Vanessa frowned and warned, "Daniel, he's a patient. You don't have to be so harsh."

Logan reached out and grabbed my arm.

"I really did hurt my head," he insisted weakly. "And I have scrapes all over. They might even leave scars. I was just too happy to see you both, so I..."

As he spoke, his fingers dug hard into my arm.

I yanked my arm away without mercy.