Chapter 1
I begged my husband three hundred and four times.[]
He finally agreed to spend just one birthday with our terminally ill daughter.[]
But we waited until the cake on the table melted.]
Wasted until her fever slowly drained her body of warmth.[]
And he never showed.[]
Instead, his soulmate posted on Instagram–one arm around her, the other holding her kid.[]
Behind them?
A six foot cake tower[]
The cake my daughter waited five years for…]
Given so easily to someone else’s child.[]
“Dream cake tower, finally came true!“]]
1 gave the post a quiet like.]
Then he messaged me, furious:[]
“How many times do I have to tell you?“[]
“Vesper’s daughter is depressed–I have to be there for her.“]
“Stop calling me for no reason!”
I looked down at the child in my arms, her body cold.[]
My voice came out soft.]
“Sure. I won’t call again.”
0
On the third night after my daughter died, I ran into Cassian Vale at the hospital.[]
He was rushing through the ER doors, carrying Vesper’s daughter, shouting for help-
Still managing to glance back now and then to comfort the sobbing woman behind him.[]
He looked exactly like the perfect husband []
The loving dad
If you ignored the fact that neither the woman nor the child were his.]
In the narrow hallway, his panic ended up knocking into more than a few people.[]
Orky when the girl was taken into an exam room did Cassian start apologizing
When I got up from the floor, he spotted me-
The last hart of guilt vanished from his face []
He looked at me with disgust
“What the hell are you doing here?! Are you stalking us?!”
Chapter 1
Maybe losing my daughter had numbed something in me.
His cruelty didn’t even register anymore.
I just stood there, silent.
Vesper stepped up and slipped her arm through his, offering me a polite smile.
“I’m so sorry, Elara.”
“Cassian’s just super stressed over the kid.“[]
“He didn’t mean to snap.”
She gave him a playful shove.]
“Elara even found her way to the hospital.“]]
“Shouldn’t you at least go check on her?“[]
“Don’t worry, I’ve got Briar.“]]
“She’s in good hands.”
Cassian frowned, clearly annoyed.
“You? Alone?”
“Briar’s not a toddler anymore–you can’t just haul her around everywhere by yourself.“[]
“Relax. I’m staying with you tonight.“[]
“Not going anywhere.“]]
Then she threw me a look–territorial, like she was claiming her ground.
Cassian turned to me, voice sharp like a knife:[]
“A like on social media’s one thing, but showing up at the hospital?“]
“What kind of mother leaves her kid alone just to follow me around?!“[]
I tightened my grip on the death certificate in my hand.[]
That hollow space in my chest ached again.]
It took Lumi a whole month to get Cassian to promise he’d be there for her birthday.]
It took him less than a minute to break that promise.[]
Right before he left the house, I swallowed the grief and told him the truth.]
“Lumi’s leukemia is in the final stage… this is her last birthday.“]]
He didn’t let me finish. He rolled his eyes, annoyed.]
“Elara Sinclair, are you seriously still going on about this?“]
“Turst it’s leukemia, now it’s the final stage–come on, change the script already.“[]
“I already planned Briar’s birthday.”
“If Lumi has to have one, wait a couple days.“]
“Till find time to throw her something then
Then he walked out. []
834
On the Bay if third, My 15 Was Baking & Cake for br
Chapter 1
Never looked back
That night, Lumi cried herself into a medical emergency.]
She died within hours]
I held her lifeless body and called Cassian again and again.]
Until I saw Vesper’s post.]
That’s when I stopped.]
Our daughter spent her birthday in a freezer at the county morgue.
Her father?
Laughing with someone else’s kid under a goddamn cake tower.
How poetic
i didn’t move.
Cassian was gearing up for another round of yelling-
But the exam room door opened.]]
Instantly, he changed.]
Face full of worry, arms outstretched, scooping Briar up like he couldn’t bear to be apart.
“She’s okay. Just inhaled too much smoke.“[]
“A little cough, nothing serious.“[]
“Keep her hydrated and she’ll be fine.“]]
Vesper gave him a light smack on the armЛ]
“See? Overreacting again. Feel better now?“]]
Cassian beamed, pulling her closer.]
“Well, when it comes to you two, even the tiniest thing feels huge.”
Outside the window, fireworks still lit up the sky.
I stared at them, each burst cutting deeper
Cassian spent a whole week planning Briar’s birthday]
Two more weeks organizing Vesper’s fireworks party]
But couldn’t give Lumi a single hour
He’s got such a busy schedule.
He glanced down at the papers clutched in my hand, thinking it was a medical report.
He asked casually, “How’s Lumi? She doing better?“]]
I gave him a slight smile
Flat Emotionless
“Lumi’s great. She won’t be getting sick ever again”
