Three Years in the Shadows

A voice boomed from the crowd.

All eyes were on Gavin.

After all, Gavin had been holding the baby, occupying the seat of honor all day.

Gavin expressed hesitation with a smile.

“Um… Tanya. Maybe Mr. Hunter should have the honors since…”

I stared at the celebration cake, a flicker of hope rising within me.

It was Sarah’s sip-and-see.

If Tanya were to assign me to cut the cake, I could let everything else slide.

“No,” Tanya answered right away.

She thrust the knife, adorned with a pink ribbon, into Gavin’s hand.

“Callum works for me. I doubt he can handle the job well. Not to mention, it’s not his place.

“You’re my good friend and Sarah’s godfather, Gavin. The first slice is meant to bless her future with success. It would mean more if you did it.”

After a pause, she added. “Don’t worry. Callum isn’t the type to be petty over something so trivial. He won’t mind.”

“Alright then.”

Gavin gripped the handle with a wide grin while Tanya took her place by his side, cradling Sarah.

They were only inches apart. Under the spotlight, they looked like the perfect couple.

Meanwhile, I stood in the shadowed corner, a clown hidden from view.

My mind flew back to that winter three years ago.

At the time, the Coxes fell into financial ruin. Tanya’s father ran away with the money, and her mother lay dying. Tanya, born of her father’s side piece, was left to shoulder the mounting debt.

It was bad enough that Tanya had a rough childhood, but she had to face the ruin of her family’s legacy as an adult.

When creditors adopted forceful means to collect, Tanya curled into a corner and called me, crying.

“I don’t have a home anymore, Callum. I’ve lost everything…”

Back then, I was the only heir to the city’s prestigious Hunter family.

My parents, Darren and Beth Hunter, never approved of Tanya when we started dating. When the Coxes fell from grace, they were against me being involved with a debt-ridden, unwanted daughter.

To break us up, they cut me off financially.

I had to sell all my fancy sports cars and watches to fund her mother’s surgery.

Even the locket I had worn since I was little had to be pawned.

Darren smashed his cup near my feet and put his finger up my nose.

“Callum, are you throwing away your legacy for that girl? You are no longer my son the moment you walk out that door!”

Crying her eyes out, Mom clutched my hand as if her life depended on it.

“That’s a never-ending, soul-crushing pit you will never fill, Callum. We don’t want you to suffer. That’s not a life for you!”

Sinking to my knees, I hung my head low and pleaded for their understanding.

I said, “Mom, Dad, I am all she has left. She’ll be ruined if I turn my back now.

“We all have our dark days. Tanya didn’t choose to be born into that family. I trust that she is destined for greatness.”

I was terrified that Tanya, left alone, would be broken by the debt collectors.

With my support, Tanya’s mother improved in health.

However, the money was quickly running out.

To get Tanya’s business off the ground and give her a fighting chance, I braved the snow, delivering orders and handing out flyers.

I took on the hardest, most thankless jobs, all for a paycheck.

It was a very brutal winter.

I would come home after a long day, my hands raw, swollen, and infected with frostbite.

It happened to be my birthday.

However, there was no money for a cake, and my hands hurt badly.

Tanya looked at my mangled hands. With tears in her eyes, she made me a peanut butter sandwich.

She handed me the sandwich while sobbing.

“I’m sorry, Callum.

“Just give me more time. One day, I will get you the biggest and baddest cake ever.

“I’m going to make sure you stand at the very top. We’ll shut them all up.

“Just wait for me, okay? Please…”

Her tears burned into my very soul.

True to her word, Tanya bought the biggest cake and reached new heights of success.

I, however, was no longer the man who shared the spotlight with her.