#9

*ONE YEAR LATER*

**DREX**

The room buzzed with excitement as everyone chanted, "Cut the cake!" Yes, that's right, it was my birthday, and today was also the day of my engagement ceremony to the love of my life, Jessica. She was the woman I had once tried to surprise on her birthday, but that attempt had gone horribly wrong due to a situation with... someone else.

After successfully cutting the cake, a strange, unfamiliar voice suddenly pierced the celebratory atmosphere.

"Hold it right there!" The voice belonged to a young woman holding a baby wrapped in a white flannel. Her arrival drew collective gasps of surprise and attention.

She pointed directly at me. "You," she exclaimed.

I was bewildered by the sudden intrusion. "Me?" I asked, my confusion evident.

"Why are you here, and who are you? I don't remember inviting this person," my father said, positioning himself between me and the woman, trying to shield me from her view.

"This is your grandchild!" she declared, causing a