I chuckled and said decisively, “I don’t need it anymore. You guys should enjoy yourselves.”
After that, I hung up, not caring how Shawn would react.
When I got home, I received an update from my workplace. My request to return to Summeria had been approved, and I had to hand over everything here as soon as possible before returning. This was the first piece of good news I’d received in recent days.
I was organizing the digital documents I needed to hand over when Shawn returned. He was still mad about how I’d spoken to him over the phone, so he grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom to wash up without saying a word.
By the time he came out, I was already in bed and ready to hit the sack. He stood by the bedhead and looked at me. I could sense the heat in his gaze even with my eyes shut. I was starting to get annoyed when my phone rang.
“Isn’t it your birthday today, Joey? I’ve brought you some gifts the company prepared!” Tom’s voice was particularly loud in the silence of the night, and his words made Shawn’s expression darken.
After hanging up, I left the room and headed downstairs. Tom was there with my gifts—I took them from him and thanked him. Then, I headed back upstairs. When I entered the apartment, I saw Shawn rummaging in the fridge.
I put the things down with a glance at him before returning to the bedroom. Unexpectedly, Shawn joined me a short while later and said uneasily, “We don’t have any ingredients at home for a cake. I can—”
I cut him off with a yawn. “It’s okay. I don’t need it. I’m still full from dinner.”
His expression became even more uneasy. “I’m sorry that I forgot it was your birthday…”
I said nonchalantly, “It’s no big deal. It’s just a birthday, right? It doesn’t matter whether or not it’s celebrated.”
After that, I turned off the lights and went to sleep. The rest of the night was dreamless and peaceful.
…
For the next few days, Shawn returned home on time. I didn’t have time to care about him, though. I was busy handing over my work.
I thought life would continue peacefully like this until the day I left. But one day, I found a name change application in the study when I was tidying my things there. It was dated two months back, and Shawn was the applicant.
