The Birthday Party
I didn’t RSVP.
I didn’t need to.
I dressed the kids in their nicest clothes, braided Sophie’s hair, and stared into the mirror until I looked like a woman who wasn’t shaking inside.
At the gate, the valet asked for my invitation.
“I don’t have one,” I said. “But I have his children.”
And then he saw us.
Christian.
Laughing with guests. Vanessa glowing beside him, their baby in her arms.
When his eyes met mine, his smile vanished.
He froze.
Then he saw the kids.
Three pairs of eyes that mirrored his. Three faces too familiar to deny.
“Leah…?” he whispered. “What is this?”
“These are your children,” I said. “James. Liam. Sophie.”
