TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

First day of a new year for me. Last year was a roller coaster of events for me. I had my share of happiness and sorrow, of laughter and cries. It was indeed a year I would never forget in my entire existence. A lot had happened. The contract marriage, the betrayals of people whom I trusted with my life, my father's tragic death… With these alone, it had made last year one heck of a blow for me. Something unforgettable that didn't only change the course of my life, but marked me as a person. 

As I relive every incident inside my head one after another, feeling all the emotions all over again, a consecutive knock at the door makes me divert my attention. Feeling as if I was floating in mid air, with all the things going inside my head, I mindlessly head towards the door and open it. 

Standing in front of me is one of the servants who is carrying a bouquet of strikingly red roses that almost covered her. The sight of her made me step back as she walked in and placed the bouquet on top of the center table. 

"These are for you, Mrs. Levine. It was delivered minutes ago." 

Curiosity instantly absorbed me as I followed her and looked at the beautifully arranged bed of roses. My eyes were scanning for a note that would tell me who it was from, but I saw none. 

"Who was it from?" I questioned without removing an eye at the roses.

The bouquet was breathtakingly beautiful. A picture of what a perfect flower should always look like. It was elegant yet simple, very classy and sophisticated. Like it was peeled off from a page of a popular wedding magazine. A lush dome of uniformly velvety red roses, with each petal unfolding in rich color and combined with white flowers and green foliage. It was wrapped elegantly in pale red lace paper, making it more grandiose, and finishing it by a wide white glossy with gold intricate ribbon. The piece was stunningly awesome. 

I was never a fan of any flowers, even roses, but I must admit that this delicately hand-made creation was perfectly gorgeous. 

"Oh! I apologized, Mrs. Levine" She hastily took something inside her uniform's pocket and hesitantly gave it to me. The small card was crumpled as if someone intentionally crinkled it. "I am terribly sorry for the card, Mrs. Levine, but it was Miss Lucy's fault. She crumpled it the moment she knew that the flowers weren't for her" Her words got me even more intrigue. 

'Who might have sent the flowers that made Lucy so agitated?' 

My ever curious self flipped the card open and read the content. I couldn't believe it. My mouth was agape as my eyes read the short greetings again. 

'So that's why Lucy was furious.' My subconscious mind smirks triumphantly, eyes glistening with delight at the simple revenge that unexpectedly took place. 

The servant was long gone but my eyes were still glued on two things. The bouquet that is now lying on my bed and the card that I am still holding. 

I wasn't expecting this to happen, just as I didn't expect last night's turn of events at the mansion. Although I appreciate his gestures, I can't help but doubt his intentions. There must be something behind this extraordinary act of Gabriel. Although we have been together for more than a month, and it was a short span of time to judge, I already knew the real him. He showed me his true colors on the day of our wedding itself. And this wasn't him. 

This wasn't the Gabriel I was contractually married to. That Gabriel was a scumbag with a holier-than-thou attitude, a self-proclaimed righteous man whose ego was bigger than the universe. None of these describes him. 

'What if he really has a soft spot inside of him? Maybe somewhere inside that dark soul of his, hides a pinch of goodness? Besides, you should be thankful he gave you flowers that fancied you the least. You should thank him even for his efforts alone, you know.'

After debating with myself, I decided to pay Gabriel a short visit at his office to personally thank him for his effort before heading to my mother's. Whatever his real intentions were, thanking someone is always the noblest thing to do. Although these are all too good to be true, a kind gesture of appreciation won't kill the life out of me.