The flower that blooms

Previously

…“I see… resilience,” he said, his voice low and earnest. “And a kindness that shines brighter than any fragrance. I see someone who deserves… all the joy in the world.” Tears welled in Lillian’s eyes, blurring the edges of the room. Joy. Deserve. These were words that had felt like foreign lands to her for so long. But looking at Adrian, feeling the steady warmth of his hand, she began to believe, for the first time, that perhaps, just perhaps, they might be within her reach. The chrysanthemums in the greenhouse, blooming with their cheerful optimism, felt like a silent echo of the quiet bloom of hope unfurling within her own heart.