Chapter 9 - The First Birthday
Five months later.
The sunny lawn of the Hamptons estate was filled with bright blue balloons, wooden picnic tables, and the sound of joyful children's laughter.
A massive banner stretched across the grand stone terrace:
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, HUNTER!
Over fifty guests gathered on the lawn—not the fake, backstabbing high-society elite who had watched me bleed two years ago, but real friends, dedicated employees from Vance Global, federal agents who had worked on the case, and family.
Lily was running through the grass, chasing a group of toddlers with a bubble machine. Sarah Vance stood near the grill, chatting warmly with Dr. Aris, who had delivered Hunter a year ago.
I stood near the centerpiece table—where a gorgeous, three-tiered cake shaped like a blue sailboat sat proudly under the sun.
I wore a simple, elegant yellow sundress, holding Hunter on my hip.
He was a bright, chubby one-year-old now, wearing tiny blue overalls, his soft blonde curls bouncing as he pointed excitedly at the sailboat cake.
"Cake!" Hunter babbled, clapping his tiny hands together. "Mama, cake!"
"Yes, my sweet boy," I laughed softly, kissing his warm cheek. "It's your cake."
I looked down at the lawn where, two years ago, I had lay broken, bloody, and humiliated while my husband and his mistress laughed over my pain.
There were no ghosts here anymore. The cold marble, the elitist cruelty, the suffocating fear—all of it had been cleansed, replaced by light, love, and genuine laughter.
Lily walked up beside me, holding a camera. "Ready for the big song, Vee?"
"We’re ready," I smiled.
May you like
As the entire crowd gathered around the table, raising their voices to sing Happy Birthday to my miracle son, I felt a gentle breeze sweep in from the nearby ocean, blowing through my hair.
Hunter reached out his little hand, touching the blue frosting on the sail, getting a tiny smudge on his nose, letting out a ringing, joyful giggle that warmed my entire soul.
