He Gave Her The Best So I Left Him With Nothing Chapter 23
The succulent on the windowsill was thriving, its plump leaves glowing in the Santa Fe sun. Beside it sat several other desert plants in an assortment of shapes and sizes: a small cactus, an aloe, and one with tiny yellow flowers whose name I still didn’t know.
Almost every week, Aidan brought home another plant from the market. He never made much of it. He would simply repot it in the yard and quietly place it on the windowsill. Bit by bit, the sill had filled up. It was just like him — never with grand declarations, always with quiet actions.
He never had to say the words out loud. After a year of small acts of care like these, I understood.
As I looked at the plants, my mind drifted back through the years.
To the little girl who was forever trailing behind her sister, waiting for whatever was left over. The cake Marguerite found too sweet. The dress she wore once and cast aside. The dimmer, smaller bedroom she was assigned.
Back then, standing in the shadow of her brilliant sister, that little girl had seemed so small, so easy to overlook. She probably never imagined that one day, someone would love her with this much care.
Not because it was finally her turn.
Not because she just happened to be the easiest choice.
I leaned into Aidan’s arms, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest.
I was loved.
Not because my turn had finally come.
But simply because he chose me.
[The End]
