Heartbreak

The evening settled in with a quiet, expectant hush. The balloons, which were hanging limply, had begun to lose their vibrancy. The perfectly frosted cake, adorned with unlighted candles, settled untouched on the table. It was a painful reminder of the absence that loomed over the celebration.

Emily continued to swing her legs back and forth impatiently. Her party dress was shimmering under the dim glow of the chandelier. But her excitement was dimmed by the lingering uncertainty.

Her father was yet to come back home. Jennifer glanced at the clock again. It was as if the numbers were blinking back at her mercilessly. Hours had slipped by, and with each passing minute, Emily's enthusiasm wilted like a neglected flower.

"Mom." Emily spoke up, breaking the silence. "Can you call Daddy for me? Let's know what is still holding him."

"Alright." Jennifer replied and reached for her phone. She dialed his number while hoping and praying that he would answer with some reasonable excuse. That he was stuck in traffic. That he had to stay late at work. The phone began to ring, but he wasn't picking up.

"Pick up, please." Jennifer murmured out of impatience. Just as it was about to end, it was picked up.

Jennifer opened her mouth to say something but held back when she started hearing what she wasn't expecting. She could hear voices mingling in a chorus of celebration.

“Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to you…”

Jennifer’s blood turned cold immediately. It was a birthday song. The voices... she could recognize them. It was her husband and his ex-girlfriend. His voice was filled with joy. The kind of joy he had denied his own daughter.

Albert wasn’t at work. He wasn’t stuck in meetings or traffic. He was celebrating someone's birthday with his ex-girlfriend.

Jennifer’s grip tightened around the phone, causing her knuckles to turn white. The realization struck with such force that she had to fight and control herself from breaking down in front of her daughter.

The betrayal burned so deep that Jennifer remained frozen while listening. Stella’s voice was louder than others. Jennifer didn't need a prophet to tell her that Stella was the one who picked up the call.

Stella had been waiting to strike, and this was the best time. She had intentionally fixed her son's birthday on Emily's day to prove some points. To tell Jennifer that Albert cares about her and her son more than Jennifer and her daughter.

Emily, watching her mother’s facial expression, frowned in concern. “Mom? Is everything okay? Where’s Dad? Is traffic holding him up?”

Jennifer blinked rapidly, forcing herself to swallow the grief that threatened to spill over. She couldn’t let Emily see the pain clawing at her heart. She plastered on a weak smile, hoping it was convincing enough before speaking up.

“He’s just busy, sweetheart. He’s handling a big client. But that’s okay, because we can celebrate together. Just us.”

Emily's little face fell. “Oh… so he won’t be coming home now?” She asked, and Jennifer hesitated. She wanted to tell her the truth. She needed to let her know the cruel reality. But how could she? How could she be the one to shatter Emily's heart?

Instead, she nodded softly, tucking a strand of Emily’s hair behind her ear. “We can still have an amazing birthday, baby. Just the two of us.”

Emily forced a smile, but her excitement had already dimmed. She looked down at the cake. The candles were still waiting to be lit up.

Just then, Jennifer's phone vibrated. She checked, and it was a message from an unknown profile. Just as she opened the message, her eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"Mom! What is that?" Emily asked.

"It...it's...just a disturbing video you shouldn't see." Jennifer quickly replied.

Yeah, it was a video, and in that video, Albert was gifting a boy two expensive children's cars. It wasn't just a random boy, but his ex-girlfriend's son. Albert was celebrating his ex-girlfriend's son's birthday, while his daughter was waiting for him.

Jennifer felt totally heartbroken. She could tell who was behind the video. It was no other person but Stella. She was practically proving who Albert loved and cared for.

Ever since Albert's girlfriend returned, he barely gives Jennifer attention. A few days ago, Jennifer confronted Stella in a shopping mall, telling her to leave her husband alone, but Stella laughed and told Jennifer that Albert belonged to her. That she has come back to take back what belongs to her. That Albert loved her more than anyone else. That she will prove it to Jennifer.

Now, it seemed like she was right. Her husband was celebrating Stella's son's birthday, leaving her daughter in heartbreak. Jennifer clenched her jaw in anger. She wanted to scream, to grab the car keys, drive straight to wherever he was, and scatter everything. This was more than what she had thought.

At this point, she didn't know what to tell her daughter. So, she took a deep breath and got up from her seat. She sat beside Emily, lit up the candles, and whispered to her, “Make a wish, sweetheart.”

Emily weakly looked at the candle. Her birthday was no longer feeling special. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and made her wish. "I wish my father will love me again. I wish he could see the hurt in my eyes when he ignores me and feel the emptiness in my heart when he's not there. I wish he could understand how much his presence means to me and how his absence affects me. I wish my dad could love me unconditionally, value me, and be proud of having me as his daughter." She finished and blew out the candles, hoping that her wishes would be granted.