CHAPTER 8: THE UNEXPECTED SURPRISE
ELODIE'S POV
I thought he had mentioned something about going out. Or at least that we were supposed to celebrate this day quietly, just us, intimately as a family. But the scene in front of me tells another story altogether. The whole place is buzzing, decorations everywhere, as though he’s preparing for a grand gathering rather than a private celebration. My brows pinch, my chest tightens, confusion weaving into the edges of my thoughts.
Why does it look like he’s decorating for a large meeting or something? I wonder, my heart thudding strangely as I pause at the center of the staircase.
Then it happens.
A sharp tickle climbs my spine, quick and sudden, and I gasp, whirling around with a yelp of fright. My hand flies to the railing for balance, br
