**An Accidental Bouquet and a Twist of Fate**
Olivia sat alone in her small flat in the town of Hitchin when the silence was broken by a knock at the door. Reluctantly, she rose from the sofa and peered through the peephole. A young man stood there, holding an enormous bouquet of flowers. “Who’s this?” she wondered with a frown.
“Who is it?” Olivia asked, hesitating to open the door.
“Flowers for you,” the stranger replied.
She cracked the door open, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Flowers? For me?” she said, surprised.
“Yes, for you,” the man smiled. “You’re Emily, right?”
“No, I’m Olivia,” she answered, a faint disappointment stirring inside.
“Wait,” he faltered, pulling out his phone. “Sorry, I think I’ve got the wrong flat.”
“No worries,” Olivia sighed, forcing a small smile.
She returned to her room, but moments later, the doorbell rang again. Olivia checked the peephole and froze, her eyes widening in shock.
Today, Olivia was spending her twenty-fifth birthday alone for the first time. She felt no joy. Friends had urged her to celebrate at a café, but she refused.
“You can’t shut yourself in and mope on your birthday!” insisted her best friend, Charlotte. “You’re only twenty-five! You’ll meet the right one someday. And that bloke Ethan isn’t worth your tears. Get dressed, we’ll pick you up!”
“No, Charlotte, not today,” Olivia replied firmly.
“But it’s your birthday! You have to celebrate!” Charlotte protested.
“I don’t want to. Sorry, Charlotte,” Olivia cut her off.
“Suit yourself,” Charlotte sighed. “But if you change your mind, call me.”
Olivia was still reeling from her breakup with Ethan, her fiancé. They’d been together nearly a year when he proposed, and she’d been over the moon—dreaming of their wedding, a family, children. But it all crumbled when she discovered Ethan had been leading a double life.
There was another woman, Sophie. With Olivia, he planned a future; with Sophie, he was “just having fun.” Everything changed when Sophie announced her pregnancy. Her father—Ethan’s boss—issued an ultimatum: marry Sophie or lose his job.
When the truth came out, Olivia was stunned. But when Ethan suggested she become his mistress after his wedding to Sophie, she was speechless.
“You’re seriously asking me to be your mistress?!” she cried.
“What’s the big deal?” Ethan shrugged. “We’re good together. You love me, I love you—”
“Love?!” Olivia snapped. “You lied to me, cheated on me! Is that how you treat someone you love?!”
“Sophie was the one who came on to me,” he defended. “She’s pretty, I couldn’t resist. I’m only human! But she’s boring—you’re the one I can talk to.”
“Enough!” Olivia cut him off. “Get out. I never want to see you again.”
At that moment, her world felt shattered. How could she ever trust a man again? Ethan had sworn his love, showered her with affection, called her his dream woman. And yet, it was all a lie.
Olivia couldn’t help but think of her mother, abandoned by her father when Olivia was three. Later, when she was in primary school, her mother tried dating again—only for the man to choose her best friend instead. Since then, her mother, Margaret, had given up on men, convinced her fate was solitude.
“At least you, love, might find someone decent,” Margaret often sighed, worrying for Olivia.
She’d been thrilled when Olivia announced her engagement. Margaret lived in the countryside where Olivia grew up. After university, Olivia moved to the city, found work, rented a flat, and dreamed of a family. Now, after Ethan’s betrayal, she doubted it would ever happen.
Her twenty-fifth birthday brought no joy. She’d imagined spending it with Ethan, but instead, she was alone, heartbroken. Olivia made herself cocoa and wrapped herself in a warm knitted blanket her mother had made. Margaret was a skilled knitter, her work admired by many. Olivia enjoyed knitting too but couldn’t match her mum’s talent.
Before she could take a sip, the doorbell rang.
“Strange,” she thought. “Who could that be? Please don’t let it be Charlotte and Emma—I said I wasn’t going out.”
Olivia was reserved and preferred solitude when upset. She checked the peephole. The same young man stood there, holding a lavish bouquet.
“Flowers again?” she asked, opening the door slightly.
“Yes, for you,” he said, offering the bouquet.
“For me? Really?” Olivia blinked.
The man grinned. “Happy birthday, Olivia.”
She stared, stunned. “But… how? Why?”
“You seemed so sad earlier,” he admitted. “I wanted to cheer you up. But now you look… absolutely stunning. I suppose my invitation for a walk is too late—you’re heading out?”
“What’s your name?” she blurted out.
“James.”
“James,” she smiled, surprising herself. “I’m meeting friends at a café to celebrate. Why don’t you join us?”
“I’d love to,” he replied, his eyes lighting up.
That evening turned out to be the best birthday of Olivia’s life—the night she met the man who’d become her destiny.
Later, she learned James was a talented interior designer who’d been helping a friend’s flower shop with deliveries.
“I like handing out bouquets,” he confessed. “Especially seeing women smile when they receive them.”
“Do you often mix up addresses?” Olivia teased.
“Only once,” he said. “But it wasn’t a mistake. It was fate leading me to you.”
“And me to you,” she added. “If I hadn’t stayed home, we might’ve missed each other.”
James squeezed her hand. “I think we’d have found our way regardless. Fate doesn’t miss its mark.”
Ten years on, Olivia and James are happily married, raising two wonderful boys. They still call their chance meeting life’s greatest gift.
Happiness knocks when you least expect it. All you have to do is let it in.
