Chapter 1

Astrid's POV

By the time I came out, the four people who'd promised to wait for me were nowhere to be found.

I didn't bother looking for them. Instead, I followed the crowd toward the parade, where I spotted my best friend, Leah Wolfe, standing on the lead float with three men dressed as knights by her side.

"I'm so jealous! I heard you have to book a spot on that float a month in advance," a young girl beside me said.

I watched them in silence, my eyes lingering on my fiance, Jacob Dixon, as he took Leah's hand.

It had to be booked a month in advance, and they still managed to forget about me.

I looked away without a flicker of emotion on my face.

Surrounded by tourists enjoying themselves, I felt as though I were in a completely different world.

Once the parade ended, the four of them found me just as I was about to leave.

"Astrid, where have you been? Come on! We made dinner reservations. Let's celebrate your birthday!"

Jacob took my hand, while my childhood friends, Caleb Mercer and Lucas Ford, nodded enthusiastically beside him.

"We've been planning this surprise for ages!" they said.

Leah came over with a smile, too.

For a moment, I was stunned.

Had they really planned a surprise for me? Had they actually remembered that today was my birthday?

I let them lead me to the restaurant, only for a staff member to stop us at the entrance.

"I'm sorry, but your reservation is for four people, and we can't squeeze another chair around the table. You'll have to wait for a larger table if you want to dine together."

I stopped in my tracks, feeling like a complete fool for getting my hopes up even for a second.

Jacob looked startled. "I guess I miscounted."

I smiled bitterly. Somehow, the top student in the computer science program couldn't even count to five.

Leah bit her lip unhappily. "We have to wait? But I'm starving."

The three men turned toward me almost simultaneously, exchanging hesitant glances.

"How about—"

"I'll leave," I interrupted, stepping aside before they could finish. "Enjoy your meal."

Jacob immediately broke into a smile. He reached out to ruffle my hair, then cupped my face in his hands and chuckled. "That's my Astrid. I knew you'd understand. Besides, you said you were trying to lose weight, remember?"

Caleb and Lucas had already taken Leah inside.

"Just wait for us out here. We won't be long."

I watched the four of them laughing and chatting together inside the restaurant. All I could think was how bitterly cold December in Bayton could be.

I blinked against the wind, which left my eyes red and stinging. Rather than wait for them, I turned and walked toward the exit alone, making my way against the flow of the cheerful crowd.

This wasn't the first time they'd forgotten me.

Once, when we went hiking, the cable car could only accommodate four passengers, and Jacob had somehow managed to buy exactly four tickets.

They promised to send someone up to get me once they reached the bottom of the mountain, so I stayed behind and waited.

Hours passed, and by the time night fell, I could hear wolves howling in the distance. Still, no one came for me.

Eventually, a park ranger found me and took me down the mountain. When I finally got home, the four of them were watching a movie together.

"Astrid? Why are you only getting home now? We thought you were upstairs sleeping."

They looked genuinely confused, as though they'd completely forgotten that I'd been stranded on the mountain.

Then, there was our graduation trip.

They'd suggested traveling abroad. Although I didn't speak the language and was running a high fever, they insisted that I come along. They promised over and over that they'd take good care of me.

Yet, at our very first stop, they forgot about me and left me on a high-speed train in Sylora.

I couldn't understand what anyone was saying, and I panicked because I had no idea what to do. My fever grew worse until I eventually passed out.

By the time the four of them returned from their trip, they were shocked to learn that the embassy had already arranged for me to be brought home.

"Huh? What are you doing here? We thought you were with us the whole time."

Apparently, I was so easy to overlook that they hadn't even noticed I was missing for over ten days.

They even went on and on about their trip, showing me photos of the four of them together.

A gust of cold wind brought me back to the present. I pulled out my phone and called my mom, Helen Greene.

"Mom, remember when you said that once I turned 24, I could choose between staying here and getting some experience at our overseas branch? I've made my decision. I want to go abroad."

After hanging up, I looked up to see brilliant fireworks bursting across the night sky.

The words "Happy Birthday" appeared, followed by the initials of all four of them.

The birthday girl herself had been left out.

I let out a bitter laugh and murmured to myself, "Happy 24th birthday, Astrid Finch."