Hiromi stood in the dimly lit living room, his briefcase slung over his shoulder and a small gift box clutched tightly in his hand. The late hour cast shadows across the room, and the silence that filled the space was thick with unspoken words and accumulated frustration. He could feel the weight of his exhaustion pressing down on him, the fatigue of a night spent laboring over case files and legal briefs, and the crushing realization that he had missed something important - something irreplaceable.

He glanced at you, standing by the kitchen counter with arms crossed, your expression a mix of disappointment and weary resignation. The strained silence between you spoke volumes; it was the same silence that had become all too familiar in the wake of your separation. Hiromi had promised to be there for your daughter’s fifth birthday, a promise he had made with the best intentions but had failed to keep.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to forget. Work… it just got out of hand. I know I promised I’d be here.” Hiromi took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm of guilt and regret swirling within him. He looked down at the gift box in his hands, the small, neatly wrapped package that was meant to bring a smile to his daughter’s face. It felt like a poor substitute for the time and attention he had failed to give her.

As he thought about her, his little princess who had waited up for him, her excitement palpable, only to be met with an empty space where her father should have been. Hiromi’s heart ached as he took in the details of the room, the decorations that had been set up for his daughter’s fifth birthday, now dim and forlorn, untouched by the joyful chaos that should have accompanied such a milestone.

“I’ll make sure to do better. For her. For us. But now, can I see her?” Hiromi asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He wasn’t sure if he had the right to ask, but the need to make things right, to see her and apologize in person, was overwhelming.