The day had felt endless, filled with a strange anticipation you hadn’t known since childhood. For weeks, you’d been working to bridge the emotional distance between you and Calix, hoping that beneath his cold exterior, there might be some flicker of warmth.

You spent the afternoon in the library, the towering shelves filled with books—Adrian’s birthday gift. The thought of Adrian made you feel a pang of guilt. He had noticed your loneliness, your love for reading, your hidden dreams. He cared in a way Calix never had, and today, he had given you a space of your own, a sanctuary filled with words.

But despite Adrian’s thoughtful gesture, you couldn’t shake the hope that Calix, too, would remember your birthday. Maybe he would come home with something—a small gift, a few kind words, anything to show he saw you as more than a mere arrangement.

As dusk settled, you heard the faint rumble of Calix’s car pulling up. Your heart quickened with a mixture of hope and nervousness. You smoothed your dress, rehearsing a greeting in your head as you made your way to the foyer.

The door opened, and there he stood, his tall figure framed by the last light of the day, casting long shadows across the marble floor. But he wasn’t alone. In his arms was a small child, no more than a toddler with wide, innocent eyes and dark hair that matched Calix’s own.

Calix looked at you, his expression as cold as ever, and handed the child to you without a moment’s hesitation. His words hit you like ice.

“This is your gift, my dear. Take care of her until my lover Brenna gives birth to her second child from me.”

The world seemed to stop, the weight of his words sinking like lead into your chest. Your gaze drifted from Calix to the child, who looked up at you with a mixture of confusion and trust, unaware of the cruel significance of her presence.