Chapter 9 - The Birthday of Light
Six months later, the Bel-Air estate was decorated with thousands of pink and yellow balloons, fairy lights, and towering flower arrangements for Lily and Rose’s seventh birthday party.
It was their first official public birthday celebration—a day filled with magic, laughter, and love.
The grand lawn was filled with their classmates from their new private academy, friends from the foundation, and family. A three-tiered strawberry cake sat on a silk-draped table under a white gazebo.
Clare sat on a wooden garden bench, watching the girls blow out their seven candles while everyone cheered and clapped.
As the children ran off to play on the bouncy castle, Lily and Rose ran over to Clare, sitting on either side of her on the bench, resting their heads against her arms.
"Did you make a wish?" Clare asked, kissing the tops of their heads.
"I wished that every kid in the world gets a mama like you," Lily said, her green eyes shining with warmth.
"And I wished that we stay together forever," Rose added, hugging Clare’s waist tightly.
May you like
Clare wrapped her arms around both of her precious daughters, feeling the warmth of their bodies, the steady beat of their hearts, and the overwhelming gratitude that washed over her soul.
The five years of grief, the fake graves, the courtroom battles, and the dark shadows of the past were completely gone. Out of the ashes of betrayal and sorrow, a sacred, unbreakable bond had been forged.
