You Want the Best of Both Worlds? Dream On

Matthew caressed Lyanna's tiny face. His actions were filled with affection, but he still pried her hand off him, one finger at a time. "Be good, Lyanna. Your mother can celebrate your birthday with you."

I suppressed the anger boiling in my heart as I picked up the ring from the floor. I kept my tone as calm as possible when I said, "Michael, Matthew made a promise to Lyanna before he died. He promised to celebrate her birthday with her.

"Can you pretend to be her father and celebrate her fifth birthday with her? You can think of it as carrying out Matthew's final wish, or perhaps you can do it for poor Lyanna's sake."

Felicia entered the living room with a disgruntled expression. "Luna, I feel heartbroken that you lost your husband, and that Lyanna lost her father, but you shouldn't try to steal my man right in front of me and Elias."

Matthew's brows knitted together tightly. He looked as if he wanted to reject my request, but after meeting my calm gaze, he guiltily averted his gaze.

When his eyes fell on the wedding ring, his entire body quivered.

He pursed his lips before saying, "Darling, Luna is just thinking about Lyanna. Her birthday is coming up, and as her uncle and aunt, we should do our part to ensure that she has a perfect birthday celebration."

Matthew looked at me. "Luna, I will celebrate Lyanna's fifth birthday with her to fulfill Matthew's final wish."

I scoffed upon hearing his words. It seemed that Matthew had no trouble taking on Michael's identity. He referred to Felicia as "darling" without even batting an eye.

I tossed the wedding ring into the trash bin. "Good. I hope you're not lying to me."

A smile appeared on Lyanna's face after receiving Matthew's answer. She excitedly began to discuss what she wanted to do on her birthday and what food she wanted to eat.

My heart clenched painfully as I watched her. Matthew was her father, but she had to resort to begging so pitifully just to have him celebrate her birthday with her.

Matthew had not only abandoned me, but he had also abandoned his own child.

Not being able to keep my emotions in check, I hastily retreated to my room. Noticing how upset I was, Lyanna followed me and took my hand.

"Don't be sad, Mommy. I'll always be here," she said. "I know that Daddy doesn't want to be my daddy anymore. I also know that he doesn't want to celebrate my birthday with me. But I… I just want to have a daddy one last time. We might never see him again after this…"

I gazed at Lyanna, who showed a heartbreaking maturity despite her young age. I wrapped my arms around her in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, Lyanna. Mommy isn't sad. I'm just—"

"I'm just heartbroken on your behalf," I thought.

I was heartbroken that she still longed for Matthew's fatherly love, even though he would rather fake his death to abandon his wife and child. She was so pitiful.

I knew there was no way I could tell Lyanna the truth, that he didn't love her or me. I couldn't tell her that she would be less upset if she abandoned her expectations of him. I could only pray that Matthew would take into account the relationship we once shared and leave Lyanna with a wonderful memory of him.

Once Lyanna's birthday was over, we would never bother him again.

On the night of Lyanna's birthday, she put on her favorite princess dress. We had made a hazelnut cake from scratch, and Lyanna was filled with barely-contained excitement as she waited for Matthew to return home.

Lyanna and I were the only ones in the house. Even Mitch Lorenzo and Kelsey Green, Lyanna's grandparents, were not around. I called Matthew a dozen times, but he did not answer. Eventually, Matthew switched off his phone.

It was almost midnight. Lyanna's joy had dimmed significantly. I bit my bottom lip and quietly asked, "Perhaps everyone is busy today. Why don't we eat the cake together tomorrow?"

However, Lyanna was stubborn. "But… Daddy said he would celebrate my birthday with me."