Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The Birthday Wish
The first light of dawn slipped through the curtains as Lucy quietly climbed out of bed.
She tiptoed to the calendar hanging beside her desk.
A bright red circle surrounded today's date.
October 18.
Her birthday.
She smiled to herself.
"Six years old," she whispered proudly.
Then she looked toward the window.
The stars had already faded.
"Good morning, Daddy."
Even though she couldn't see them anymore, she liked to believe the stars were still listening.
Olivia was already in the kitchen when Lucy wandered out in her pajamas.
The apartment smelled of cinnamon and fresh pancakes.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart."
Lucy ran into her mother's arms.
"You remembered!"
Olivia laughed.
"I've remembered every birthday since the day you were born."
Lucy giggled.
"I was just checking."
Breakfast was simple.
Chocolate-chip pancakes.
Fresh strawberries.
One tiny candle standing in the middle.
Lucy closed her eyes before blowing it out.
"What did you wish for?" Olivia asked.
Lucy smiled mischievously.
"If I tell you, it won't come true."
Olivia nodded.
"Fair enough."
But deep inside, she wondered if the wish was the same one Lucy had made every year.
Across town, Gabriel stood in the private elevator of Knight Global Headquarters.
In his hand was a small wrapped package.
Inside was a handcrafted music box carved from walnut wood.
When opened, it played Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
He had spent nearly an hour choosing it.
No price tag.
No expensive jewelry.
No extravagant toys.
Just something that reminded him of the bedtime stories he had imagined telling his daughter years ago.
Noah stepped into the elevator before the doors closed.
"You really think you should go today?"
Gabriel looked at the gift.
"I've missed six birthdays."
"I know."
"I don't intend to miss another."
Noah hesitated.
"You're still being watched."
"I know."
"The surveillance team spotted the gray sedan again."
Gabriel's expression darkened.
"Keep everyone in place."
"You think Marcus is getting closer?"
"I think Marcus never stops looking."
That afternoon, Lucy's classroom had been transformed into a tiny celebration.
Colorful balloons floated near the ceiling.
Paper stars hung from strings across the windows.
Mrs. Harper clapped her hands.
"Everyone, let's sing!"
Twenty small voices filled the room.
"Happy Birthday to you..."
Lucy laughed so hard she nearly forgot to blow out the candles.
After the cake, Mrs. Harper gathered the children into a circle.
"I have one more birthday tradition."
She placed a glass jar in the center.
"Inside are little pieces of paper."
"Each of you will write one birthday wish for Lucy."
The children eagerly picked up crayons.
A puppy.
Ice cream.
A bicycle.
A trip to the zoo.
One by one, they folded their wishes and dropped them into the jar.
Finally, Mrs. Harper handed Lucy the last piece of paper.
"And what will you wish for?"
Lucy stared at the blank page.
She thought carefully.
Then she wrote only one sentence.
She folded the paper before anyone could read it.
School ended under a bright autumn sky.
Parents waited outside the gates.
Children hurried toward familiar faces.
Gabriel stood across the street beneath the shade of a large maple tree.
He wore a navy coat and a simple baseball cap.
For once, he looked like any other father waiting after school.
Except he wasn't.
Not yet.
Lucy spotted him almost immediately.
"Mr. Gabe!"
She ran across the sidewalk before Olivia could stop her.
Gabriel knelt to meet her at eye level.
"Happy birthday."
Lucy's eyes grew wide.
"You remembered?"
"I remembered."
He held out the neatly wrapped box.
"It's for you."
Lucy accepted it carefully.
"You didn't have to."
"I wanted to."
Olivia caught up a moment later.
"You really didn't need to buy her anything."
Gabriel smiled politely.
"It's only a birthday gift."
Lucy gently untied the ribbon.
Inside sat the small wooden music box.
She slowly lifted the lid.
Soft notes drifted into the afternoon air.
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star..."
Lucy's face lit up.
"It's beautiful."
She looked up at Gabriel.
"Can I hug you?"
The question caught him completely off guard.
His throat tightened.
"If... if you'd like."
Lucy wrapped her little arms around his neck without hesitation.
For Gabriel, the world seemed to stop.
No traffic.
No city noise.
No fear.
Only the warmth of the little girl he had dreamed of holding for six long years.
He closed his eyes for just a moment.
The embrace lasted only seconds.
To him, it felt like a lifetime.
As they began walking toward the parking lot, Lucy tugged gently on Gabriel's sleeve.
"Mr. Gabe?"
"Yes?"
"I forgot to tell you my birthday wish."
"You don't have to tell me."
"I want to."
She looked down at the music box in her hands.
Then quietly said,
"I wished that one day..."
"...my daddy could hug me."
Gabriel felt the air leave his lungs.
Lucy continued softly,
"Just once."
"So I'd know what it feels like."
She smiled, unaware of the storm her words had created inside him.
"I think that would be enough."
Gabriel couldn't answer.
His eyes burned.
He turned away for a moment, pretending to watch passing traffic.
Olivia noticed the change in his expression but said nothing.
She had never seen a stranger react with such heartbreak to the innocent wish of a child.
From the rooftop of a nearby office building, a camera lens followed every movement below.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The hug.
The gift.
The conversation.
The photographer smiled.
"This isn't friendship," he murmured.
He sent the images through an encrypted network.
Less than a minute later, Marcus Varga's reply appeared.
Stop watching only the man. Find out everything about the little girl.
The hunter finally had a trail.
He simply didn't know where it would lead.
That evening, Lucy placed the music box on her bedside table.
When she wound the tiny key, the familiar melody filled her room.
Olivia tucked the blanket around her daughter.
"Did you have a good birthday?"
Lucy nodded.
"The best one."
"I'm glad."
Lucy looked toward the window where the first stars had begun to appear.
"Mommy?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think wishes ever find the right person?"
Olivia brushed a curl away from Lucy's forehead.
"I think the important ones always do."
Lucy smiled sleepily.
"I hope Daddy heard mine."
Olivia kissed her forehead.
"So do I."
Outside, parked quietly across the street, Gabriel sat alone inside his SUV.
In his hand was the tiny blue paper star Lucy had folded for him.
Her birthday wish echoed endlessly in his mind.
"I wished that one day... my daddy could hug me."
He closed his hand around the paper star.
"No more waiting," he whispered.
"I've already stolen too much time."
As the lights in Lucy's bedroom went out, Gabriel made a silent promise.
Before another birthday came, his daughter would know the truth.
He had no idea that someone else had made a promise of their own.
May you like
Marcus Varga had decided it was time to stop watching from the shadows.
End of Chapter 6
