“Yes, let's surprise Mommy!” Brandon said with a faint smile.The drive back to the suburbs was really calm. Maggie watched the trees go by and hummed a tune to herself. When Brandon pulled the car into the driveway of their house, he took a slow breath and got ready to start decorating as soon as they went inside.Brandon unlocked the door and held Maggie's hand and when the door opened they both stopped and stared. The front hallway and living room were looking amazing. There were banners that said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" in gold letters and lots of balloons floating around. The walls had party decorations on them. There was a big table in the middle of the room with bright tablecloths on it.Maggie was so surprised and happy. She let go of Brandon's hand as she gasped with her eyes shining with excitement."Oh my gosh, Daddy! Look!" Maggie exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Mommy did it! Mommy came home early. She made the house look pretty for me! It's a surprise party! She really didn

“Mommy,” Maggie said, her voice trembling softly. “This is my home. It’s not Leo’s house. Why do I have to leave? Why do I have to celebrate my birthday somewhere else?”She stood near the edge of the decorated carpet, clutching her teddy bear tightly against her chest. Her tiny knuckles had turned white from how hard she was holding it. Slowly, her tearful eyes moved from the golden birthday banners to the bright blue balloon Leo had snatched from her earlier… before finally lifting toward her mother.The question was simple and painfully innocent.The moment Maggie spoke, Leo’s eyes widened in shock. He immediately let go of Lyra’s hand and stumbled back as tears burst from his eyes. Covering his face with both hands, he broke into loud sobs, his small shoulders shaking violently while he stomped his feet against the floor.“See, Daddy?! She’s bullying me!” Leo cried through his tears, his small shoulders shaking violently. “She’s only being mean to me because I don’t have a mommy!

“Happy Birthday, Maggie!” The Mickey Mouse mascot cheered warmly as he walked toward her and handed her a beautiful bouquet of roses.The bright morning sun bathed the amusement park in warm golden light, making everything around it look cheerful and alive.Colourful music drifted from the nearby carousel while children ran across the pathways holding giant sticks of pink cotton candy, laughing and pointing excitedly toward the rollercoasters towering above them.But Maggie wasn’t looking at any of the rides.She sat quietly on a bench beside Brandon, her small hands resting weakly in her lap while her favorite teddy bear leaned silently against her chest.Unlike usual, she wasn’t hugging it tightly.Her face looked frighteningly pale beneath the sunlight, almost translucent, and her lips carried a faint bluish tint.Brandon knelt down in front of her, his eyes filled with worry as he carefully studied her pale little face. Earlier, he had bought her a balloon, bunny shaped cotton can

“You planned all of this, didn’t you?” Lyra snapped furiously, her voice trembling with anger and disbelief. “You knew Jake and Leo were staying at the house. You knew how important today was for my business, so you used Maggie to drag me away from Leo’s party.”Her eyes burned with disgust as she stared at Brandon.“You told her to pretend to be sick because you couldn’t stand seeing me happy with someone else.” Her voice turned colder with every word. “You’re so pathetic that you’d even use your own daughter just to manipulate me.”Brandon stared at Lyra in complete disbelief, his bloodshot eyes wide with shock and heartbreak.For seven years, he had loved this woman with everything he had, but at that moment, as he looked into her cold eyes while their daughter struggled to breathe in his arms, a chilling realization settled deep inside his heart.The woman standing in front of him was no longer the Lyra he thought he knew.“She’s fighting for her life, Lyra,” Brandon said hoarsely