[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260313014099-52":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},52,4,"Chapter 4: A Birthday Spectacle and a Silent Betrayal","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tears welled up, blurring my vision even before I fully opened my eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A single tear escaped, tracing a silent path down my cheek.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The jarring ring of my mother's call finally ripped me from my daze, the paintbrush falling from my numb fingers in my studio.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">My 25th birthday was just a week out.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Mom’s voice, soft and familiar, flowed through the phone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A lump formed in my throat, my nose prickling with unshed emotion.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After the call ended, I just stared, lost, at the cityscape outside my studio window.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Back in the day, birthdays were always Mom and Dad’s show. Small affairs, but always full of warmth and genuine cheer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They always made sure I felt like the queen of the world.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then I married Archer Edwards, and he took the reins.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The birthday bash he threw for me post-wedding was next-level. Think VIPs from both our families, all the big players in town.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The Warrens and the Edwards, two names that carried serious weight. My family, the Warrens, were basically titans of industry.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As the sole heiress to the Warren fortune, my debut into society at a grand birthday party? It was the talk of the town.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Honestly, I’ve never been one for huge crowds.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Back then, I was totally swept off my feet, basking in the glow of it all.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Looking back now, though, it feels more like he was playing the long game, setting the stage for his own budding career.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I waited for Archer to emerge from the bathroom, then casually brought up the birthday.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer’s brow furrowed for a split second, a flicker of something he quickly masked before pulling me into a hug.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“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.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I stroked his hair, a long silence stretching between us before I finally spoke.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Archer, I’m not really feeling a big party. Can we just do a quiet dinner at home with our parents?”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His arm tightened around my waist.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“No way, darling. People will think I’ve let myself go as a husband. Your birthday deserves a proper spectacle, something everyone will remember.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I just lowered my head, unable to argue.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">On the day of the party, I arrived on Archer’s arm, a vision in a floor-length white gown.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As we navigated the glittering crowd, well-wishers chimed in with birthday greetings, showering us with compliments about our perfect coupledom.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I managed a polite smile, a hollow ache resonating within me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then I saw her. Lilith Bishop, gliding towards us in a shimmering purple mermaid gown.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Penelope, it’s been ages.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I dug my nails into my palm, forcing my features into a semblance of composure. “It has, Lilith.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Why haven’t you been replying to my texts?”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lilith shot me a mock-reproachful glance, her eyes then casually flicking to Archer by my side.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lilith had been in the loop about the pregnancy for a while, but she played it up like she was genuinely surprised.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Pregnant? Wow, congratulations!”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As she leaned in, Lilith’s fingers deliberately grazed the back of Archer’s hand, not once, but twice.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I felt a subtle stiffening in Archer’s arm before he smoothly recovered, clinking glasses with Lilith as if nothing had occurred.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">With a final, enigmatic smile directed at both of us, Lilith drifted away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Twenty-something years of so-called friendship, and not even a “Happy Birthday.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Later, sensing the cake cutting was imminent, I slipped away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As I passed a room with its door ajar, I overheard Lilith’s voice, laced with an unmistakable invitation. “Archer, come see me tonight.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, Archer’s reply, a low murmur…\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272931441]