Chapter 3 The Birthday Was Never About Her

Millie frowned and hid behind me. "Mom, I don't want to."

In the past, I would've thought she was being rude. Now, as I looked at the hurt on her face and remembered everything Jonathan and Sandra had said… Well, all I wanted to do was say no for her.

Before I could, Jonathan took her by the hand and started leading her toward the bakery outside the amusement park. "Come on, Millie. Sandy said she's hungry, so let's go get some cake."

Millie's eyes stayed fixed on the rides as she was tugged along. "I just got here. I haven't gone on anything yet. I want to ride the roller coaster first. I'm not even hungry!"

Jonathan didn't slow down. "Millie, why do you always have to be so difficult? Sandy's hungry, so we'll eat first and come back afterward. What's the rush?"

He was her father. Maybe he was trying to make up for everything by buying her a birthday cake. So, I didn't say anything even though something felt off.

There were rows of beautiful cakes filling the bakery's display case. I pointed to the biggest strawberry cake. "We'll take that one. Strawberry cake is my daughter's favorite."

The employee was about to box it up when Jonathan walked in, supporting Sandra. The moment he saw the cake in my hands, he frowned.

Sandra rested a hand on her stomach. "It's okay, Jon. I just won't have any. It's Millie's birthday today. Of course, you should get her favorite."

The more she insisted on it, the more protective Jonathan became. "Nancy, Sandy's pregnant. The doctor said it's best for her to avoid cold foods. Those strawberries have been sitting in the refrigerator. What if they upset her stomach?"

Then, he turned to Millie. "Millie, we're all eating the cake together. You need to think about everyone's tastes."

Something about that sounded wrong. My mind stalled for a moment.

In the end, he swapped the strawberry cake for a low-sugar chestnut cake.

Millie, who was standing beside me, whispered miserably, "Mom… whose birthday are we even celebrating? Mine or hers?"

After we bought the cake, I set the candles on it at one of the small tables outside.

I looked over at Jonathan. "Come sing 'Happy Birthday' to your daughter."

Yet, he stayed by Sandra's side. "Nancy, Sandy got tired after the carousel. I'll stay with her until she feels better. I'll skip the birthday song. It's too loud, and she needs some peace and quiet because she's pregnant."

Jonathan rubbed his temples before looking at Millie. "Millie, you're already 10. You don't need to make such a big deal out of these formalities. Sandy's in a delicate condition right now. Are you going to take responsibility if she gets upset and something happens to the baby?"

In the end, I was the only one who sang "Happy Birthday" to Millie.

…

When the song was over, I handed her the cake knife.

She cut the first slice and was just about to put it on my plate when Jonathan casually reached over and took it. "Sandy first. She said she was hungry after the carousel."

Millie's hand froze in midair.

Jonathan placed the slice in front of Sandra and said softly, "Here, have some. I know you don't like sweets, so I picked the low-sugar one for you."

As I watched Jonathan lower his head to comfort Sandra, I suddenly felt dazed. He used to treat me that way.

I had hidden myself away in my car the first time I lost a case, crying because I couldn't face going back to the office.

He'd knocked on the window and placed a piece of candy in my hand. "So what if you lost? Honey, you're not a machine. Nobody wins every single time."

Now, all I could do was lower my head.

Millie was crying again, but not a sound escaped her lips as tears streamed silently down her face.

She took off the blue star hair clip and set it on the table. "Mom… I don't want him anymore."