Tears welled up, blurring my vision even before I fully opened my eyes.

A single tear escaped, tracing a silent path down my cheek.

The jarring ring of my mother's call finally ripped me from my daze, the paintbrush falling from my numb fingers in my studio.

My 25th birthday was just a week out.

Mom’s voice, soft and familiar, flowed through the phone.

A lump formed in my throat, my nose prickling with unshed emotion.

After the call ended, I just stared, lost, at the cityscape outside my studio window.

Back in the day, birthdays were always Mom and Dad’s show. Small affairs, but always full of warmth and genuine cheer.

They always made sure I felt like the queen of the world.

Then I married Archer Edwards, and he took the reins.

The birthday bash he threw for me post-wedding was next-level. Think VIPs from both our families, all the big players in town.

The Warrens and the Edwards, two names that carried serious weight. My family, the Warrens, were basically titans of industry.

As the sole heiress to the Warren fortune, my debut into society at a grand birthday party? It was the talk of the town.

Honestly, I’ve never been one for huge crowds.

But Archer, he’d called it his way of showing me off, of letting the whole world see his “little princess” on her special day.

Back then, I was totally swept off my feet, basking in the glow of it all.

Looking back now, though, it feels more like he was playing the long game, setting the stage for his own budding career.

I waited for Archer to emerge from the bathroom, then casually brought up the birthday.

Archer’s brow furrowed for a split second, a flicker of something he quickly masked before pulling me into a hug.

“Oh yeah, the birthday! I was just about to mention it. Things have been insane lately. You’ve been a trooper through this whole pregnancy, my love, so we definitely need to make this one epic.”

I stroked his hair, a long silence stretching between us before I finally spoke.

“Archer, I’m not really feeling a big party. Can we just do a quiet dinner at home with our parents?”

His arm tightened around my waist.

“No way, darling. People will think I’ve let myself go as a husband. Your birthday deserves a proper spectacle, something everyone will remember.”

I just lowered my head, unable to argue.

On the day of the party, I arrived on Archer’s arm, a vision in a floor-length white gown.

As we navigated the glittering crowd, well-wishers chimed in with birthday greetings, showering us with compliments about our perfect coupledom.

I managed a polite smile, a hollow ache resonating within me.

Then I saw her. Lilith Bishop, gliding towards us in a shimmering purple mermaid gown.

“Penelope, it’s been ages.”

I dug my nails into my palm, forcing my features into a semblance of composure. “It has, Lilith.”

“Why haven’t you been replying to my texts?”

Lilith shot me a mock-reproachful glance, her eyes then casually flicking to Archer by my side.

“Oh, you know, pregnancy. I’ve been a bit paranoid about all the tech lately, trying to limit my exposure.” I gestured vaguely to my stomach, adopting a demure expression.

Lilith had been in the loop about the pregnancy for a while, but she played it up like she was genuinely surprised.

“Pregnant? Wow, congratulations!”

She then raised her champagne flute, a sly smile playing on her lips as she turned to Archer. “The mom-to-be can’t partake, so I’ll have to toast with you instead, Archer.”

As she leaned in, Lilith’s fingers deliberately grazed the back of Archer’s hand, not once, but twice.

I felt a subtle stiffening in Archer’s arm before he smoothly recovered, clinking glasses with Lilith as if nothing had occurred.

With a final, enigmatic smile directed at both of us, Lilith drifted away.

Twenty-something years of so-called friendship, and not even a “Happy Birthday.”

Later, sensing the cake cutting was imminent, I slipped away.

As I passed a room with its door ajar, I overheard Lilith’s voice, laced with an unmistakable invitation. “Archer, come see me tonight.”

Then, Archer’s reply, a low murmur…