My Birthday


    I hoped that the children wouldn’t grow up too fast so that we could slowly enjoy and savor these


    wonderful moments together. I patted their heads in turns as I thanked them for the presents that they


    had prepared.


    I nced over at Edward who was watching this loving scene unfolding with a warm and tender smile


    on his face. I was sure that Edward had helped all the children pick out their presents for me and, once


    again, I was so thankful to Edward. He has done so much for me and our children.


    “Thank you so much everyone for the presents!” I thanked my children with arge smile on my face.


    Edward came up to hug me lovingly from behind before kissing my temple softly. I took his hands into


    mine and leaned into his warmth.


    “Time for bed, kids,” Edward said in a mockingly stern voice.


    I nced at the clock on the wall and found that it was muchter than I thought it was. It was already


    almost an hour past the kid’s bedtime. Edward was right, it was ‘time for bed’ for the kids.


    “It’ste. Time for bed indeed!” I said in agreement as I smiled down at the children.


    “I don’t want to sleep yet!” Ryder said, clearly disappointed.


    “Hmm…why don’t you help me clean up a bit first then? Is that ok?” I suggested to Ryder. Having him


    help me out for another ten minutes or so won’t hurt and hopefully by then he would’ve calmed down


    for bed.


    “OK! Yay!” Ryder cried out in joy as he ran off.


    A young maid quickly popped her head into the room with a smile signaling that she would go after and


    look after Ryder. I nodded knowingly in response.


    “Well then, it’s bedtime for you two,” Edward said, bending down the hug the twins.


    “Ok…” the twins replied obediently in unison.


    I hate to admit it, but Edward has so much more authority over the children than I do. The twins are


    never this obedient when they are alone with me, and Ryder could get so wild. However, all three of


    them seem to behave super well when Edward was around.


    I watched as Edward carried the two children up in his arms and headed upstairs to their bedroom. He


    turned to wink at me, and I smiled back. Putting the kids to bed became an easy task when Edward


    was around, thankfully, he was rarely away from home nowadays.


    I went into the kitchen to check up on Laura and her cleaning. It waste and I preferred to help her so


    that she could retire for the night earlier. While I was helping Laura organize the dishes up on the shelf,


    Ryder came running in to the kitchen while yelling loudly.


    “Mummy!” Ryder called me excitedly.


    I put down the towel that I had been drying my hand with and turned to greet him. Ryder seemed out of


    breath like he had ran here like his life depended on it. In his hand was what looked like a cake box.


    “What is it honey?” I asked curiously.


    “Papa’s friend came to deliver a cake. Here,” Ryder said, shoving the box of cake into my hands.


    “Papa’s friend?” I asked in confusion.


    Which of Edward’s friend would deliver a cake on my birthday and thiste in the night? I watched as


    Ryder rain off somewhere again. Ryder has too much energy for me to handle and that young maid


    was clearly too lenient on the boy, not that I could fully me her.


    “Ryder…you should be in bed. Go to bed now! Laura…take him to bed,” I said, putting on my most


    authoritative mother voice as I called after him.


    Laura went after Ryder, and I watched as she put an arm around Ryder’s shoulders and gently led


    Ryder away towards the stairs. Ryder followed hesitantly, ncing backwards to take a look at me. I


    waved to him and blew him a good night kiss and I wished him good night.


    I put the cake box on the table and turned away to continue my pending task but then my curiosity


    began take to take over. Who could the cake be from? I decided to take a peek at the cake, and I


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    thought that I should at least put the cake away properly in the fridge. I carefully untied the rosy-pink


    ribbon of the cake box and opened the lid.


    The message on the cake was simple but it wasn’t the message that caught my attention.


    ‘Happy Birthday Natalia’


    I would recognize that handwriting anywhere and this cake, this blue berry cheesecake…only one


    person I knew could make it. I quickly ced the cake back on the table before I would drop it in my


    mix of panic and shock.


    I was sprinting out the front door as fast I could before I knew what exactly I was doing or where I was


    going. I didn’t know where I needed to go but I just knew that I would somehow be able to find…him.


    Ignoring the shocked looks of some maids that I ran past before exiting the house, I continued sprinting


    out into the garden. Where is he? Is he even still here?


    Why didn’t I notice it earlier? Why didn’t Ie after him faster? What if I miss him this time…would I


    get a chance to see him ever again?


    “R! R! R!” I shouted at the top of my lungs as I ran around in the garden until I reached the front gate.


    “What is wrong, Madame?” a middle-aged security guard who was in charge of guarding the gate


    during night duty asked with concern.


    The guard looked up and down at my outfit of a very wrinkled dress, an apron andck of any footwear.


    I was in so much of a hurry that I didn’t even bother to wear shoes when I left the house.


    “I…Did you see a tall man around here?” I asked, trying my luck. Although I knew that he would have


    figured out how to slip in and out of here undetected.


    --To be continued…