She took a deep breath and tossed her phone aside, deciding not to respond. When she woke up, it was already ten at night. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that the fridge was empty, so she figured she''d head out to the grocery store.


    As she opened her front door, she bumped into Scarlette, who was also on her way out. Scarlette held a woven basket and quirked an eyebrow, "Heading to the store?"


    "Yeah, let''s go together," ra suggested, and they set off.


    It wasn''t until she saw all the New Year''s decorations in the store that ra realized the holiday was just around the corner. She couldn''t remember how she spent itst year, but at that time, the whole Bradford family was still together.


    This store catered to the well-to-do residents of the nearby vis, stocking mostly high-end, imported items. ra noticed Scarlette eyeing a jade disy and asked, "Who''s that for?"


    Scarlette picked up a bracelet with a nice stone. "My mom. Her birthday''sing up."


    "Are you going back home then?"


    "Yeah," Scarlette sighed, the thought of seeing Nichs clearly bothering her.


    ra grabbed some groceries and, as she wandered past the flower section, her eyes caught on some cherry blossoms. She picked up a bouquet just as Scarlette asked, "So, are you spending New Year''s alone?"


    Everyone knew about the Bradford family drama, and people were still curious about who ra''s mysterious boyfriend was.


    "Probably. I might visit Ryan," ra replied.


    Just then, a familiar voice cut through the air-it was Eden. "Wrap up all the cherry blossoms for me. I''m taking them all."


    Eden had juste from Palm Bay, where she overheard that Dn liked cherry blossoms a surprise, since she''d never known him to care about flowers before. She was visiting a friend nearby and decided to grab some blossoms for Dn.


    Spotting ra with her own bouquet, Eden immediately assumed ra was trying to impress Dn. Her face darkened as she marched over. "ra, leave those flowers. I''m not in the mood for a fight today."


    ra sighed, already annoyed. She nned to give the blossoms to Z, so why should she leave them? Eden''s face was flushed with anger, her finger nearly jabbing ra''s face.


    "Don''t think I don''t know you''re nning to give them to Dn. How many times do I have to tell you to back off?”


    Eden''s jealousy and panic bubbled over, feeling like her cherished possession was slipping away. In a rash move, she snapped the branches ra was holding.


    Scarlette gasped, rushing to protect ra, but ra was quicker, hurling the bouquet at Eden''s head. "Eden, have you lost your mind?!"


    Eden, eyes zing and forehead scratched, seethed with all her past grievances against ra, thinking it was time to finally deal with her once and for all.