Imprisoned Red Rose

Chapter 1

The day I found out I was pregnant, my boyfriend, Jason, was having a small wedding ceremony with his first love.

He explained, “It’s her dying wish to be my bride.”

And what about me?

What am I?

I finally understood. Ten years of unwavering devotion and waiting couldn’t compare to a single tear from his first love.

1

The chapel erupted in applause as Jason slipped the wedding ring onto Amelia’s finger.

The atmosphere was warm and celebratory as he lifted her veil.

I finally saw the woman he’d pined over for so long.

Amelia, in her white wedding dress, was breathtakingly beautiful.

It made me feel inadequate.

Everyone cheered, “Kiss her! Kiss her!”

Amelia rose to her tiptoes, puckering her lips expectantly.

He seemed to hesitate, finally kissing her cheek.

That’s when he saw me, standing by the window.

The wedding was taking place in the hospital chapel.

It added a touch of bittersweet romance to the normally sterile environment.

And here was the man who swore he’d love me forever, who promised me a dream wedding, holding another woman’s hand, vowing to cherish her for the rest of her life.

I just stood there, frozen.

My hands and feet were ice cold.

A breeze drifted through the open window, chilling my face.

My presence brought the ceremony to an abrupt halt.

“Who is that? What’s she doing here?”

“Don’t tell me she’s here to crash the wedding. She’s no match for the bride.”

All eyes were on me.

Their expressions were a mixture of confusion and disapproval.

As if I were the villain.

As if I was the one ruining this perfect love story.

Amelia saw me too.

She frowned slightly, a picture of delicate beauty.

Jason’s face paled. He let go of her hand and started towards me.

“Ronnie, I—”

Amelia clutched his arm, tears welling in her eyes. She looked at me with a heartbreaking vulnerability.

“Jason, a wedding needs a groom.”

The man who was always so decisive and calm actually hesitated.

He looked at me, but his body leaned towards Amelia.

What was I still hoping for?

Staying any longer would only be humiliating.

He wouldn’t choose me.

I turned and walked away.

“Ronnie!”

Jason took a few steps after me.

Someone cried out behind him, “Amelia!”

There was a flurry of commotion.

He didn’t follow.

2

I didn’t sleep a wink that night.

Jason didn’t come home either.

Our last text messages remained unanswered.

Mine said, “Jason, I have a surprise for you when you get back.”

Little did I know, he had a much bigger surprise for me.

The day I found out I was pregnant, the man I loved married someone else.

I really believed he was on a business trip.

I really believed he was too busy to even text back.

It turned out, he was busy getting married.

He turned my waiting, my surprise, everything I’d done, into a cruel joke.

The pregnancy test slip was crumpled in my hand.

There was no point anymore.

3

I met Jason right after he and Amelia had broken up.

He was at a low point, reeling from both career and relationship setbacks.

My arrival was perfectly timed.

I offered him comfort.

I gave him encouragement.

I stood by him for seven years, as he climbed from rock bottom to the top.

Seven years.

Then he said he wanted to marry me.

I thought it was out of gratitude, out of guilt.

But he said, “I don’t know when it happened, but my eyes landed on you, and I haven’t been able to look away since.”

At that moment, I couldn’t describe how I felt.

He didn’t know.

Long ago, he had already captured my heart.

I had always been chasing his shadow.

And on that day,

My secret love finally blossomed.

I thought I had finally found my happy ending.

I really did.

But Amelia’s reappearance shattered all my illusions.

It was all self-deception.

He never forgot her.

4

As the last rays of sunset faded, I finally made up my mind to leave.

I had just finished packing my suitcase when I heard a noise at the door.

Jason walked in, looking exhausted.

“Ronnie, that wedding didn’t mean anything.”

I just stared at him.

Silently.

“Amelia has ALS. She wanted to be a bride, just once.”

In that moment, was his pain because I didn’t understand, or because Amelia was dying?

I couldn’t tell.

Probably the latter.

He rarely showed sadness because of me.

“I went to see her today, and she was wearing her wedding dress. She asked me to go through with the ceremony with her.”

An indescribable sadness clouded his features.

“Ronnie, I couldn’t refuse. She’s dying…”

Couldn’t refuse?

Did he even consider refusing?

The smile on his face during the ceremony, that wasn’t fake.

He married the woman of his dreams, the woman he’d always longed for.

I asked, “When did she come back? Was it the day we went to pick out rings?”

There had been signs, actually.

He’d received a phone call that day.

He was always so composed, especially after his career took off. He rarely showed any emotion.

But that day, he was suddenly distracted.

There was a sadness and urgency in his eyes that I couldn’t understand.

He said there was a problem with work and he had to take care of it immediately.

I believed him.

He went away on a “business trip” for a few days.

When he came back, he was often lost in thought.

I tried my best to cheer him up during that time.

I thought he was facing some difficult problem at work.

I wanted to share his burden.

Turns out, he was worried about another woman.

I asked him, “Were you with her during that business trip?”

He remained silent.

He never lied to me before.

But for Amelia, he made an exception.

I suddenly realized I didn’t recognize him anymore.

But that face, those quiet eyes, those thin lips, they were definitely his.

I laughed bitterly. “Jason, just forget it.”

He didn’t reply, standing before me, unmoving.

His lips were pressed tightly together.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something.

But he didn’t.

I pushed my suitcase, trying to walk around him.

He grabbed my wrist, his brows furrowed, his voice hoarse.

“Ronnie, don’t go.”

I pulled my hand away.

5

I went to the hospital, had a check-up, and scheduled an appointment.

As I was leaving, I bumped into Amelia.

She smiled brightly at me and introduced herself without hesitation.

“Hi, I’m Amelia.”

She was a ballerina.

Her posture, her appearance, everything was elegant and graceful.

Standing next to her, the difference between us was obvious.

When Jason’s career failed, she left him, determined to pursue her studies abroad.

Maybe people are always like this.

What they can’t have is always the best.

That’s why Jason never let her go, not after all these years.

And someone like me, someone who readily offered comfort, would never be truly cherished.

“Jason told me about you. You’re his fiancée.”

She tilted her chin, a smug smile playing on her lips.

She was gloating.

So what if I was his fiancée? He still went through with a wedding ceremony with her.

He still exchanged vows of eternal love with her.

In her eyes, I was a joke.

“Jason must have explained the wedding to you already…”

I didn’t want to talk to her.

My mouth felt sour and bitter.

“He has nothing to do with me anymore.”

I wouldn’t stoop to fighting with a dying woman.

She could have whatever she wanted.

I walked away quickly.

Amelia seemed to have something more to say.

As she hurried after me, she stumbled and fell.

That’s when Jason appeared.

6

He frowned slightly at the sight.

He rushed over and helped Amelia up.

His movements were gentle, as if he was afraid he’d break her.

But when his eyes met mine, there was a hint of accusation and blame.

“Ronnie, Amelia is sick.”

Yes, she was sick.

So that excused him spending the entire night with her without a word of explanation, leaving me at home to stew in my anxiety.

Only to offer a few meaningless apologies the next day, begging me not to leave.

I was never his priority.

“I didn’t do anything. Your wife fell on her own.”

I emphasized the word “wife” with a mocking tone.

His frown deepened.

Probably because of my attitude.

I had always been considerate and accommodating towards him.

I had rarely shown any edge in all these years.

I was pathetic.

Amelia put on an apologetic expression, but the smile in her eyes deepened.

“It was my own fault. It has nothing to do with Ronnie. Jason, you know I can’t always control my movements.”

At that moment, I suddenly understood. Amelia was proud, too proud to resort to petty tricks.

All she had to do was crook her finger, show a little vulnerability, and Jason would come running.

He still had feelings for her, and he couldn’t bring himself to blame her for leaving him.

In the face of death, past grievances seemed insignificant.

Jason was taken aback by her words. He looked at me, his lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out.

Amelia took the orange he was holding, her voice light.

“Alright, you two must have a lot to talk about. I’ll head back to my room. Take your time.”

That’s when I noticed the perfectly peeled orange in Jason’s hand.

7

Here’s a funny story – I love oranges.

But Jason hated them.

When we first started dating, he took me to a dinner with his friends.

He introduced me to everyone, making me feel secure and loved.

I hadn’t fully grasped his likes and dislikes back then.

Trying to connect with him, I offered him a piece of orange cake.

He froze, his lips pressed tightly together.

The air grew thick with awkward silence.

His friends all looked at me.

My palms started to sweat.

I couldn’t help but wonder, did I do something wrong?

Did I upset him?

Someone tried to smooth things over. “Jason can’t stand anything orange-flavored. You didn’t know that? Looks like you owe us a drink!”

The lively atmosphere quickly returned.

But deep down, I felt a pang of disappointment.

It wasn’t until he was drunk one night that Jason finally told me why.

He actually didn’t mind citrus fruits when he was a child.

His mother was frail and often had a poor appetite.

But she loved oranges, and there were always some at home.

One cold winter day, she peeled an orange for him, kissed his cheek, and said,

“Wait for Mommy at home. When you finish this plate of oranges, I’ll be back.”

He waited until the last sliver of sunset disappeared.

He waited as the snow fell thicker and thicker, piling up around his ankles.

In the end, all he waited for was a single sentence: “Jason, your mom jumped in the river!”

His mother died that winter.

It wasn’t until he was older that he realized his mother didn’t particularly like oranges.

She was simply sick, and oranges were cheap and brightly colored.

His mother’s oranges were a helpless choice, a small comfort amidst the struggles of life and illness.

His voice choked with emotion. “After that, I couldn’t eat oranges or anything orange-flavored again.”

That night, his tears were hot against my skin, and I cried with him.

I knew oranges reminded him of his mother.

They reminded him of his painful, lonely childhood.

So after that, I rarely ate them myself.

Even my orange-scented perfume was tucked away in the back of my closet, never to see the light of day.

Until this moment, seeing the orange in his hand, I finally understood –

Jason had become strong enough to face these memories.

I was just not an exception for him.

He never cared about my efforts.

He didn’t even know what I liked.

But he knew Amelia liked oranges.

Painful memories, difficult pasts, they all took a backseat to her preference.

8

Jason looked at her with concern. “Do you need me to call a nurse?”

His care for her was always so blatant.

Amelia shrugged, a bright smile on her face. “I can walk back myself, Jason. You two talk.”

Jason finally turned to me. “Ronnie, where have you been? You…”

A loud thud echoed through the hallway.

Amelia had fallen again, just a few steps away.

Before Jason could finish his sentence, he rushed to her side.

I stood there, watching.

Watching his face etched with worry.

Watching him frown at the scrape on her arm.

“I told you not to walk by yourself. Does it hurt?” he asked, his tone gentle, almost flirtatious.

“Can you still walk?”

Amelia shook her head.

He swept her into his arms.

They walked away, in the opposite direction.

Amelia, her arms wrapped around his neck, looked back at me, a triumphant smile on her face.

Her expression screamed, “I won.”

She used the same trick again.

So simple, yet so effective.

Nausea surged through me.

I ran to the restroom at the end of the hallway and threw up until I was empty.

It was a long time before Jason finally texted me:

“Ronnie, what are you doing at the hospital? Are you feeling okay?”

Wasn’t that a little too late?

He’d also forgotten to ask why I’d shown up at his wedding yesterday.

I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.

Then I blocked him on everything.

9

Jason found out about my pregnancy anyway.

Amanda looked at me apologetically. “Ronnie, I’m so sorry. I’ll give Liam a piece of my mind when I get home!”

Liam’s voice came through the phone. “Ronnie, you guys have been together for so long. Give Jason a chance. Give the baby a chance.”

Amanda snatched the phone from my hand, unleashing a torrent of furious words at Liam.

“Jason is a jerk! Ronnie is too nice. If it were me, I’d break his arms and let him and Amelia fly away together, two happy cripples!”

It was ironic.

Amanda was my best friend, and Liam was Jason’s childhood buddy.

We were the ones who set them up.

It took them only two years to get married.

They’d just gotten their marriage license a few days ago, just needed the ceremony.

Jason and I, on the other hand, spent seven years together, only to end up like this.

Jason showed up.

He ran all the way.

Sweating and breathless.

His face was filled with anxiety.

When he saw me outside the operating room, his tense shoulders relaxed.

He pulled me into a tight hug, like he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.

“Ronnie, I was wrong. Don’t do anything rash. Can we talk?”

There was a faint smell of cigarettes on him.

Jason’s father had died of lung cancer, so he rarely smoked.

Only when he was extremely stressed would he light one up.

He’d been running around, trying to find the best doctors and treatments for Amelia.

People had even started asking me about it.

They’d subtly inquired about my health, hinting that I might be the cause of Jason’s distress.

How ridiculous.

Stronger than the smell of cigarettes was the scent of jasmine.

I’d smelled that familiar fragrance on Amelia at the hospital a few days ago.

I suddenly remembered.

It was our second year together, the fifth year we’d known each other.

Jason’s father had just passed away, and his company was facing financial difficulties.

He couldn’t sleep at night.

Worried about his health, I asked the doctor for a calming herbal remedy and spent half a day brewing it for him.

I waited with the pot of tea, hoping he’d come home soon.

But all I got was a text:

“Ronnie, I need some time alone. I’m going for a drive. Don’t worry about me.”

He came back a few days later.

With the scent of jasmine clinging to him.

It turned out he’d gone to see Amelia.

To seek comfort from his one and only emotional anchor.

What’s even more ridiculous, when I asked him about the scent, he handed me a bottle of perfume.

“A gift for you. The saleswoman sprayed some on me. I think you’ll like it.”

He went out for a drive, and he still remembered to get me a gift.

I thought he must really love me.

All the previous unhappiness vanished.

Our relationship improved dramatically after that.

He was always clinging to me, burying his face in my neck.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t until today that I understood his true intentions.

He wasn’t particularly fond of me.

He was just drawn to the jasmine scent, the same scent Amelia wore.

Without realizing it, I became Amelia’s substitute.

A poor imitation.

Aside from the perfume, we were nothing alike.

10

I pulled away from his embrace and slapped him hard across the face.

He froze, his hand covering his cheek, looking completely bewildered.

Amanda stared at me. “Ronnie, what was that for…?”

I covered my mouth and ran back to the restroom.

I was violently ill, as if I was going to throw up everything inside me.

Amanda handed me a bottle of water, rubbing my back soothingly.

“Why are you throwing up so much? This is awful.”

Jason stood by the doorway, his face showing concern.

The red fingerprints on his pale cheek were stark.

I glared at him. “Do you know how disgusting you are? That perfume, you picked it on purpose, didn’t you? It’s the same scent as Amelia’s.”

He knew exactly what I was talking about.

His face drained of color.

What was he thinking when he did those things?

Didn’t he find it repulsive himself?

“Ronnie, let me explain. Back then, I was confused. I thought it was the scent that calmed me.”

“Later, I realized it was you who brought me peace.”

“Ronnie, I really wanted to marry you.”

I scoffed.

“Fine. Two choices. Either Amelia gets out of our lives.”

“Or we’re done. You never appear in front of me again.”

Jason’s expression faltered.

He seemed to be actually considering it.

Amanda yelled, “What are you hesitating for? Choose Ronnie, obviously! You’ve known each other for seven years, been together for four! Have you forgotten all of that?”

But Jason didn’t think so.

He mumbled, “But she’s dying, Ronnie. She’s dying.”

“She’s a ballerina, and she has ALS. Do you understand that kind of despair?”

His words felt like a mockery.

Amelia was losing her life, but I was losing my love.

How laughable.

“Jason, you’re my boyfriend. You pity her so much that you married her? You pity her so much that you disregard my feelings, abandoning me time and time again to run to her side?”

“Do you pity her, or do you still have feelings for her? Can’t you even tell the difference yourself?”

He used her terminal illness as an excuse to mask his lingering affection.

How stubborn.

Jason didn’t say anything more.

He just clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, but he still didn’t give me an answer.

A ringing phone broke the silence.

Jason pulled out his phone.

There was a commotion on the other end, someone shouting, “Get here quick! Amelia is trying to kill herself! She doesn’t want to live anymore!”

Panic flooded his face.

Just then, the nurse called my name, telling me it was time for the procedure.

He’d already made his choice.

I smiled. “Go ahead. Make sure she doesn’t actually die. You’d resent me forever if she did.”

Being resented by someone like him would be bad karma.

Jason looked at me pleadingly.

“Ronnie, promise me you’ll wait until I get back before you make a decision, okay?”

“I’m the father of the child. We should discuss this together…”

I curled my lip.

My nails dug into my palms.

Seven years, wasted on a dog.

His phone rang again.

The voice on the other end was urgent.

Amanda snapped, “Jason, do you have a conscience?”

His anxiety was palpable.

He was truly terrified that Amelia would be gone.

Amanda’s voice was full of frustration. “Amelia is a liar. Can’t you see the games she’s playing?”

How could he not see it?

Jason wasn’t stupid.

He was just indulging her.

He was afraid that there was even a sliver of a chance Amelia would jump.

“Ronnie, wait for me. Wait for me to come back, and we’ll decide.”

I didn’t say anything. He turned to Amanda.

“Amanda, please, keep an eye on her. Don’t let her go in.”

Amanda exploded. “You watch her! Are you even a man?!”

I asked him to wait a moment.

Then I unscrewed the cap of my water bottle and poured the remaining half, the water I’d used to rinse my mouth after throwing up, all over his head.

“Jason, we’re done. Don’t ever contact me again.”

Water trickled down his face, splashing onto the floor.

He looked pathetic.

The water stung his eyes, making them red.

He just stared at me, his voice hoarse as he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

I watched him run away.

I felt like a complete failure.