Chapter 95

Mikayla's POV
“Mom, we are ready for school!” Emma said with a big smile, showing her enthusiasm to face the day.
I returned her smile and hugged them tightly. Warmth and affection enveloped the three of us. “Good morning, honey! Are you ready for a new day?”
Daniel cheered, “Yes, Mom! We have art class today!”
After a few moments of small talk and making sure they had all their supplies, I decided to walk them to school. This feeling of happiness made me feel as if I was walking on clouds; today was a special day.
We walked to school joking around, and I felt that every moment was precious. My heart felt like it was filled with a flower garden—full of color and life. There is nothing more joyful than seeing the happiness on the children’s faces and celebrating life together.
When I arrived at school, I bent down to give them one last hug. “Remember, I’m always here to support you. Have a good day!” I said lovingly.
“Mom, we’ll talk about today after we get home, okay?” Daniel asked excitedly.
“Yes, of course. I can’t wait to hear all your pet stories!” I replied, looking at them both warmly.
After that, they ran into the school happily.
After dropping the children off at school, I checked my class schedule on my phone. Yes, the official class is still a week away, but there is a student orientation period that will start soon and I want to prepare everything well.
A mixture of excitement and anxiety as I thought about all the new things I would face. For that, I immediately planned to go to the stationery and supplies store to buy some equipment needed for the student orientation period.
When I arrived at the stationery and supplies store, I was greeted with a variety of equipment choices. Starting from notebooks, colorful pens, stationery, to items that might be useful during the introduction period.
I started choosing some items that I thought were important. A large and neat notebook to write down all the new information, quality pens and pencils, and some stickers to beautify the notes I would write.
While choosing, I remembered some things that needed to be prepared for the introduction.
There might be a presentation or group discussion, so I wanted to make sure that I was ready and had everything I needed.
After walking around and choosing the items I wanted, I went to the cashier to pay.
When I saw the pile of equipment that I had prepared, a sense of enthusiasm enveloped me.
All of this was an important part of my new journey as a student, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to prepare as much as possible.
While I was on my way home, my cell phone rang and it turned out to be Rudolf calling. "Mikayla, where are you now?" he asked in a slightly worried tone.
"Still on the way home," I answered, feeling something strange in his voice. “What’s wrong, Rudolf?”
“I need you to come home right away. Something urgent has come up,” he said, and the tone of his voice made me feel uneasy. Anxiety began to creep up on me, and my curiosity grew.
“Urgent? What happened?” I asked, unable to contain the worry that gripped me.
“I’m sorry, I can’t explain right now. Just come home soon, okay? This is pretty serious,” he replied.
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. My instincts immediately warned me that something urgent was up. “Okay, Rudolf. I’ll ask my driver to come home right now.”
After hanging up, I told the driver to speed up. As I drove, thoughts raced through my head—what could have happened? Why did Rudolf feel the need to take me home so quickly?
I tried to calm myself down, thinking about all the possibilities. As time passed slowly, I kept hoping that everything would be okay. Rudolf was always reliable, after all, and I was sure he had a good reason for asking me to come back.
After a while, we finally approached the house, and my anxiety grew.
After arriving home, I immediately stepped inside quickly. “What’s wrong, Rudolf?” I shouted, looking for him. However, the atmosphere inside the house felt quiet and silent. Anxiety increasingly enveloped me, while I tried to understand the situation.
I shouted again, “Rudolf…!” My voice and echo sounded distant in the air, and there was no answer. My heart was pounding, and panic began to creep in.
What happened? Why did the house feel so quiet? Various questions crossed my mind, and fear began to creep in. I didn’t know where Rudolf was and why he made me come home so early.
With anxiety, I began to explore every room. I searched the living room, the kitchen, even the study, but still found no trace of him. Only silence and uncertainty enveloped every corner of our house.
Every second felt like an eternity. I felt uncertainty and worry deepening. Quickly, I grabbed my phone to try to call him, but there was no answer.
“Rudolf! Help! Where are you?” I shouted again, hoping that the voice would reach him directly.
I tried to calm myself and think clearly. Maybe he went out for a while? Or maybe he was stuck in an unexplained situation?
I decided to go outside and look around. When I stepped into the yard, my eyes fell on the car. It was indeed Rudolf's, but there was no one around.
"Rudolf!" I shouted again, my voice full of anxiety. Clearly, something strange was going on, and I felt something was wrong.
I had to find Rudolf. I went back inside the house and headed to the front room, trying to stay calm even though fear was starting to cloud my mind.
"Tara..." Rudolf's voice suddenly came from behind me.
I was shocked and immediately turned around. In Rudolf's hands, there was a beautifully decorated birthday cake complete with lit candles. The quiet and tense atmosphere seemed to disappear instantly when I saw his wide smile.
With enthusiasm, he began to sing the birthday song. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…” His voice was full of joy, filling the previously silent space.
“Oh my gosh, Rudolf!” I exclaimed, my eyes widening in disbelief. I immediately felt a mixture of happiness and surprise. “I didn’t know this was going to happen! I… I don’t really celebrate!”
He looked at me lovingly. “I know you probably don’t celebrate, but I wanted to make this special for you. Every year, we should be able to celebrate our lives and all that we’ve accomplished together.”
“Wow, thank you!” I said, unable to hold back a smile.
Relief and happiness flowed through me.
All the worries and confusion I had when I came home seemed to disappear, replaced by love and warmth.
As he finished the song, Rudolf took a deep breath and asked, “Do you want to blow out the candles and make a wish?”
“Yes!” I said, and my heart filled with joy.
I walked over to the cake, my eyes fixed on the lit candles.
With a single puff, I blew them out and made a wish in my heart.
“Happy birthday, honey. May all your dreams come true this year,” Rudolf said, his eyes full of hope.
“Now, everything feels perfect,” I thought as I took in the moment. With a simple birthday cake and the warmth of Rudolf by my side, we celebrated a beautiful occasion that I never expected. I felt incredibly grateful to have a partner like him who always knew how to make me feel special, even in unexpected ways.
“Thank you, Rudolf. This is the best surprise!” I said, then hugged him tightly, savoring the comfort of his embrace. He held me close, and I could feel the love radiating between us.
Rudolf gently pulled back, looking into my eyes with a playful grin. “I’m just getting started! There’s more to come. After we enjoy the cake, I have a little adventure planned for you.”
“Oh really?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. “What kind of adventure?”
He winked at me, the excitement in his expression contagious. “You’ll just have to wait and see. But first, let’s cut the cake and make a wish for what’s to come!”
With that, he retrieved a knife, and together we cut into the delicious cake, the sweet aroma enveloping us. I marveled at how a simple act of celebrating my birthday could turn into a day filled with love, joy, and surprises.
As we shared the first slice, I couldn’t help but think about how far we had come together. Moments like this reminded me that no matter what challenges we faced, as long as we had each other, we could create magic from the ordinary.
After finishing our cake, Rudolf took my hand. “Are you ready for your adventure?” he asked, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
“Absolutely!” I replied, feeling eager and alive, ready to embrace whatever he had planned for us next. On this day, surrounded by love, laughter, and surprises, I couldn't wait to see what the future held for us.
The end.