: The Birthday Gift
In the end, my parents were the ones who rushed me to the hospital after hearing I'd been injured while racing.
But as we passed by a hospital room, we saw Cyrus Sloan at Elara Wren's bedside, softly coaxing her to drink some water.
My mother's fiery temper nearly erupted. She shoved her purse into my father's arms, ready to charge in and demand an explanation on my behalf.
I quickly held her back.
"Mom, Dad, Cyrus Sloan and I broke up. I'll explain everything to the rest of the family on my birthday."
As my mother watched the doctor bandage my arm, she suddenly mentioned that my brother would be able to come back from abroad for my birthday.
I gave her a confused look.
'Since when do I have a brother?'
My mother tapped my forehead with her index finger.
"You ungrateful girl. Your brother is the orphan of your father's comrade-in-arms. He took care of you for as long as you two lived together. How could you just forget him?"
She rambled on, saying she didn't know what happened as we grew up, but my brother's and my relationship had become completely strained.
He had even gone abroad to take on a project just to avoid me.
I froze.
Before I could dwell on it, Cyrus Sloan suddenly burst in.
He greeted my parents politely before fixing his gaze on me.
"Julia Sutton, you traumatized Elara Wren. Go and apologize to her."
He said it so matter-of-factly that I was stunned for a moment, then I laughed in anger.
"How does she have the nerve to expect an apology from me? If she hadn't suddenly grabbed my steering wheel, I never would have gotten hurt!"
The words had barely left my mouth when Elara Wren came stumbling in, wiping away tears, and dropped to her knees in front of me with a THUD.
"Ms. Sutton, you were going so fast, I was terrified! I wasn't thinking straight, I just wanted to beg you to stop."
"But I never expected that even though you're such a good racer, you'd still lose control of the wheel. If you want an apology, I'll apologize to you right now."
She bit her lower lip.
Her pitiful act immediately spurred Cyrus Sloan to scoop her up in his arms and walk out.
The whole series of actions was so fluid that by the time we processed it, my mother had nearly lost her temper and was about to tear the two of them apart. Thankfully, my father held her back.
Ten days later, Cyrus Sloan messaged me out of the blue.
"Elara Wren told me she was wrong about what happened that day. She wants to invite you to the amusement park. My driver is already at your house to pick you up."
He didn't give me any room to refuse.
As soon as we entered the amusement park, he led me toward the haunted house.
Cyrus Sloan walked ahead, holding Elara Wren's hand tightly, his other arm wrapped protectively around her waist.
They walked with their heads close together, leaving me to trail behind and watch their display of affection.
Deeper inside the haunted house, the two of them started to walk a little faster.
Suddenly, a hand clamped over my mouth, and I was dragged into the darkness.
An NPC in a monster mask cackled sinisterly as he taped my mouth shut. In the darkness, his rough hands began to roam all over my body.
The indicator light on the surveillance camera overhead flickered.
I struggled with all my might, but the NPC held me down, pressing my face against a cold one-way mirror.
"Don't blame me, Ms. Sutton. I'm just getting paid to take care of someone's problem."
On the other side of the mirror, Cyrus Sloan and Elara Wren were locked in a passionate kiss, like lovers reunited after years apart, desperate to meld into one another.
When the kiss ended, Cyrus Sloan gently cupped Elara Wren's face and placed a tender, cherished kiss on her forehead.
"Once I have the surveillance footage in my hands, Julia Sutton's big birthday present will be ready."
"Elara, you're the only one I've ever loved. I'll destroy the reputation of anyone who has ever bullied you!"
