Ethan dropped me off at home like always, but something felt different this time. He handed me a gift box as I got out. "Happy birthday."
I hurried from the complex entrance to my building, eager to tear into the gift. But when I reached the lobby, I froze—Nathaniel was there, holding a cake and a wrapped present, walking toward me.
He held out the gift, voice hoarse. "Happy birthday, Sylvia. I promised I'd be there for every one of your birthdays. Glad I didn't miss this one."
He was right. He'd never missed my birthday, even when it meant squeezing it in between grueling surgery shifts, staying up all night to make it happen. But that was the past. I took the gift and, without a second thought, tossed it into the nearby trash can.
His face went white, his heart gripped by an invisibl
