He Forgot My Birthday for Her Anniversary Again Chapter 01
The umpteenth time Brady Harrington forgot my birthday, I didn’t make a scene. I cooked my favorite dishes. Alone.
Bought the ice cream cake I usually wouldn’t splurge on.
Told myself it was just a celebration of another ordinary, unnoticed birthday.
But when I stepped out of the shower, ready to finally enjoy it, I saw the food I’d spent three hours making—all packed into takeout containers.
The cake next to it was already mangled beyond recognition.
He noticed me standing there.
Didn’t even look up.
“Skyler hasn’t eaten all day. Her blood sugar crashed. I’m bringing her some food. Don’t wait up.”
I watched his back as he walked out.
That was the moment I knew for sure.
I’d never wait for him again.
***
Brady had just left when the landlord Brenda Wilcox showed up.
She stood at the door, peeking inside.
“This lease ends at the end of the month. Are you renewing or moving out? Let me know so I can post a listing if needed.”
Last month I’d asked Brady the same question—renew or find a new place?
He’d been hunched over his phone, typing to Skyler, and answered without looking up.
“Whatever. You decide.”
So I told Brenda, “We’re not renewing. We’ll move out by the end of the month.”
“The security deposit? Just send it to Brady when you process it. No need to give it to me.”
He’d paid the deposit when we first moved in.
Only fair to give it back to him.
Brenda frowned. “Aren’t you two getting married? Why split hairs over money? Same thing, isn’t it?”
I just smiled.
She shrugged, got her answer, and turned to leave. But not before reminding me, “Make sure you take everything with you. Can’t leave stuff for the next tenants.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
It was already the twenty-eighth. Only three days left.
I texted the rental agent Kevin Foster who’d helped us before. [Need a new place.]
He shot back right away: [Still want three bedrooms and a living room? Anything else?]
[Two bedrooms are fine. It’s just me.]
There was a long pause before his answer came back. [ You guys broke up?]
The word “broke up” hit me weirdly.
When Brady and I first got together, I never imagined we’d end.
I spent every day dreaming about our future.
Now I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d done that.
I didn’t reply. Kevin texted again: [Need a moving company? I know a solid one.]
[Yes.]
[When?]
I thought for a moment. [Three days from now.]
Three days. The lease would end. And so would my time with Brady.
I confirmed the date and my requirements, then hung up and started packing.
That’s when my phone rang. Brady.
“Skyler said your cooking’s really good. Her stomach’s upset. Can you make her some light soup?”
Before I could answer, he added, “No green onions. She can’t stand the smell.”
I was quiet for two seconds.
Then I asked, softly, “Brady. Do you know what day it is today?”
We’d been together five years.
He’d celebrated my birthday twice.
The first time, he took me to Disney. At midnight, under the fireworks, he got down on one knee with a necklace shaped like a true-love heart and asked me to be his again.
The second time, I was out of town for work. He flew in, cake in hand, and said something sweeter than sugar:
“Paige, wherever you are, if you need me, I’ll be there.”
But in our third year together, he forgot my birthday.
Because May thirtieth—my birthday—was also the anniversary of the day he met Skyler.
Just like I expected, Brady answered without missing a beat.
“It’s the twenty-third anniversary of the day Skyler and I met. Why?”
