I went to Philo today to pick up the flowers I planned to give Tara for her birthday.
Between customers coming and going, I spotted Jeremiah carefully arranging a bouquet of tiny white flowers. Their delicate bells trembled with every movement of his hands, and a soft fragrance drifted through the room. It smelled like spring after the rain—fresh, gentle, and somehow… it reminded me of you.
“What flower is that?” I asked, unable to look away.
He smiled without lifting his eyes from his work.
“Lily of the valley.”
He held a single stem between his fingers as if it were something precious.
“It symbolizes purity, humility, good luck, and renewal,” he said. “People also see it as a flower of new beginnings… and the return of joy.”
The return of joy.
The words caught in my throat.
Jeremiah continued, unaware of the storm those few words had stirred inside me.
“It’s beautiful,” he said softly, “but every part of it is highly toxic if ingested. It can even affect the heart.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the irony.
Something so beautiful, carrying such a sweet fragrance… and yet capable of breaking a heart.
By the time he finished wrapping Tara’s bouquet, he reached beneath the counter and placed a small glass vase in front of me. Nestled inside were a few cut stems of lily of the valley.
“I noticed how much you liked its scent,” he said with a grin. “Put it on a table by your door. That way, every time you come home, it’ll be the first thing that greets you.”
I thanked him, cradling the little vase carefully on my way home.
Later that evening, as I set it beside my door, I watched the tiny white blossoms sway ever so slightly.
Even in the shadows, the lily of the valley blooms. Its beauty isn’t defined by the sunlight it receives, but by the quiet strength that allows it to bloom despite the darkness.
Perhaps my hope for your return is just like that.
It endures.
So wherever you are…
Please be safe.
I’ll be here, patiently believing in your return..
#Valko #JusticeForValko #敖尹 #BringValkoBack #BringBackValko #WeWantValko #ValkoWasFramed #ValkoIsInnocent #ValkoIsLoved