Chapter 5

"Mom!" Caleb tugged at Josephine's sleeve, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Look, Silas is rubbing his arms. Is he cold? Should we go get him a jacket?"

Josephine snapped back to reality and looked over at Silas, who was chatting with guests a short distance away.

He did seem to be holding his arms close to his body.

She was probably overthinking things. Garrick loved her, the kids, and their family. He wouldn't really stop caring. Maybe he was just sulking for now, or perhaps he had truly come to terms with everything.

Josephine suppressed the inexplicable irritation rising in her chest and took the twins to fetch a jacket for Silas.

Once Josephine and the kids had walked away, Silas' smile faded slightly.

He carried his wineglass over to where Garrick stood. "Garrick, see that? Your wife and kids are all circling around me now. You're nothing but a pathetic joke. You even have to share your own birthday with me. How does that feel?"

Garrick had no interest in answering him and turned to walk away.

Unexpectedly, Silas seized his wrist, his nails digging into Garrick's skin. "What's the rush? I'm not done talking."

Silas leaned closer, his smile mild but his voice laced with venom. "Garrick, I heard your mother jumped off a building after her husband cheated on her.

"Turns out, all these years later, you're just like her. A failure who can't hold on to the people he loves. At least your mother managed to have you. And you? You raised two ungrateful brats. Ha ha ha..."

A sharp slap rang out as Garrick struck Silas across the face.

He wrenched his wrist free, his eyes icy. "Silas, I've put up with you long enough. Say one more word about my mother, and I'll tear your mouth apart."

The blow snapped Silas' head to the side, and his cheek turned red and began to swell almost instantly.

He clapped a hand over his face, but instead of crying out as he usually would, a flicker of satisfaction crossed his expression.

Josephine and the twins were already on their way back, jacket in hand.

Josephine's eyebrows shot up the moment she saw Silas' swollen cheek and Garrick's icy expression. "What happened?"

Silas lowered his head slightly, his voice thick with hurt. "Josie, it's not Gary's fault... I was the one in the wrong. I accidentally spilled champagne on him. He had every right to hit me..."

The twins erupted at once.

Caleb jabbed a finger at Garrick, his voice full of accusation. "It was just a glass of champagne! How could you hit him?"

Ruby's small face flushed with anger. "You're a cruel man! We hate you!"

Josephine looked from Silas' badly swollen cheek to Garrick's expressionless face, and fury surged through her.

"Garrick! Here I was thinking you were being so generous today, but all along, you were just waiting for a chance to take your anger out on Silas! It was my idea to combine the parties. If you had a problem with that, you should've taken it up with me! Why drag someone else into it?" she demanded.

Garrick stared at the woman before him, consumed by rage. Her words pierced his chest like a blade, and the pain was so sharp he could barely breathe.

He opened his mouth, desperate to say something.

Silas rushed forward right on cue and took Josephine's arm, as though he knew exactly how to handle the situation. "Josie! Stop, both of you! This is all my fault. I shouldn't have come... I'm the one who ruined Gary's birthday party. I... I'll leave right now."

With that, he covered his face and turned to leave.

"Silas!"

"Silas, don't go!"

The twins cried out and immediately ran after him.

Josephine shot Garrick a scathing glare and snapped, "Look at what you've done!" before hurrying after them.

That left Garrick standing alone under the curious gazes of the surrounding guests.

Exhausted beyond words, he ignored their whispers, picked up his bag, and walked out of what was supposed to be his own birthday party without saying a word to anyone.

…

Back home, Garrick washed away the day's fatigue and the smell of alcohol that clung to him.

Garrick went to bed early. He had no idea when Josephine and the children returned, nor did he care.

It wasn't until the middle of the night that a rustling sound jolted him awake.

He opened his eyes. In the faint moonlight that filtered through the window, he saw Caleb and Ruby beside his bed. They had somehow slipped into his room with a rope and were already tying his wrists and ankles.

Garrick bolted upright. "What are you two doing?"

The twins flinched at his sudden movement, but a moment later, an expression of hatred crossed Caleb's face, one that had no place on a child his age.

"What are we doing? You slapped Silas today, and now he won't even talk to Mom! He ran off because of you!

"Mom spent forever trying to comfort him! We've never seen him that upset before! You're a cruel man! We're going to get revenge for him! You need to learn your lesson!" Caleb said darkly.

Ruby pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. In the moonlight, a fine layer of powder was barely visible on its surface.

"Dad, you're allergic to pollen, right? I put a whole lot of pollen on this handkerchief. You're going to feel awful. I hope you remember this lesson and never bully Silas again," she said.

Garrick's pupils contracted sharply. He had a severe pollen allergy. Exposure could trigger airway spasms, suffocation, or even death. Only his closest family members knew about it.

And now they were using it against him as punishment?

His entire body went rigid with shock. Before he could collect himself, Caleb and Ruby pressed the pollen-covered handkerchief firmly over his nose and mouth.

"Mmph!"

The overpowering smell of pollen filled his nostrils at once.

Garrick struggled with all his might, but the twins seemed determined to carry out their punishment. They pressed down with all their weight.

He began to suffocate almost immediately. His throat felt as though countless hands were crushing it, his lungs burned like fire, and the edges of his vision began to darken.