Chapter 574 Don't Deserve to Celebrate My Birthday
Adeline hung up the phone and took a deep breath, feeling totally lost.
She thought about calling the cops, but Molly was too sharp. She worried Blake and Lauren might get hurt.
Even if Blake and Lauren were safe, Molly would definitely go after Bennett.
It wasn't worth the risk. So, she had to go alone.
She clutched her phone tightly and anxiously stared out the car window.
From Blue Bay to the beach, Adeline was on edge the whole way. She didn't have all the answers.
With her heart pounding, Adeline finally got to the beach.
She started searching along the shore. The usually busy beach was now empty and eerily quiet.
There were no lights, and with each step, Adeline felt more and more uneasy, hearing only the waves and the seagulls.
The more she searched, the more desperate she felt.
Finally, she reached the entrance of the Castle Hotel by the beach. To her surprise, the once grand Castle Hotel was now completely dark.
She stood there, holding back her tears, feeling lost.
Just as she was about to call Mia, a clear child's voice rang out, "Mommy!"
Adeline froze. She quickly turned, following Lauren's voice.
In an instant, all the lights of the Castle Hotel lit up. Fireworks exploded in the sky. A loud birthday song played on the beach.
Blake and Lauren each held a big bouquet, sitting at either end of a small cart with a three-tiered cake in the middle.
Pushing the cart was Jasper, whom she hadn't seen in ages. Behind Jasper were all her friends and colleagues.
The once silent beach was now filled with people. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday," slowly surrounding her.
Adeline stood there, stunned.
Her feelings shifted from confusion and despair to surprise and—anger.
Finally, Jasper pushed the cake and the kids in front of her. Blake and Lauren got off the cart at the same time and handed her the flowers. "Mommy, happy birthday!"
Lauren smiled at Adeline, giving Jasper all the credit to ease the tension between them.
"Daddy planned this surprise for you!"
Adeline held the flowers, trying to force a smile. But she couldn't. Everyone was happily celebrating her birthday, but she couldn't feel any joy.
Only she knew how desperate she felt when she saw that note, thinking Blake and Lauren had been kidnapped.
They thought it was all for her good, to surprise her. She should be happy. They had no idea!
Jasper, pushing through his discomfort, walked up to her with the gift he had prepared, trying to look like he was fine.
He looked at her with gentle eyes. "Adeline, we've known each other for so many years. This might be the first time I've celebrated your birthday."
He handed her the gift. "I hope you like it."
As soon as he said this, the crowd around them started to cheer.
"Adeline, accept it. Mr. Foster really put a lot of thought into your birthday gift!"
"Yeah, he booked the entire beach and Castle Hotel. It's super romantic!"
The voices around her kept echoing, but Adeline couldn't hear any of it.
She lifted her eyes, staring straight at Jasper. "You prepared all of this?"
Jasper nodded. "Yes."
"Was it your idea to have Lauren and Blake leave a note and leave the house?"
Jasper was about to shake his head, but Lauren tugged at his pants.
He remembered his promise to his daughter, so he smiled and looked at Adeline gently. "Yes."
Adeline bit her lip hard, glaring at Jasper, and raised her hand. The sharp sound of a slap echoed across the beach. The birthday song instantly stopped.
Everyone was shocked by what just happened.
Jasper, still weak, staggered back a few steps, hitting the cart behind him.
The still-healing knife wounds on his abdomen hit the edge of the cart. The intense pain made sweat bead on his forehead, and his face turned pale.
Ryan, seeing this, quickly wanted to help Jasper. But Jasper's glare stopped him.
He slowly got up, adjusting his expression so no one could see his pain.
"Jasper, do you think it's fun to mess with me? This is the second time!" Adeline bit her lip, glaring at him.
She continued. "Last time, you sent me an anonymous message just to get me to talk to you in an alley. I was already very angry! This time, you did it on purpose, didn't you?"
The more she spoke, the angrier she got, her voice almost coming through gritted teeth. "You don't know how every day I'm constantly worried, afraid something will happen to my children."
She added. "You used Blake and Lauren's disappearance to lure me here. Do you know how worried and scared I was on the way?"
She continued. "Did you have to use such a way that made me break down to get me here?"
Jasper was stunned. Everyone present was stunned.
Adeline threw the gift Jasper had prepared for her to the ground.
"And ever since I 'died' six years ago, I have disliked celebrating my birthday. A person with no future or past doesn't deserve it!"
"Jasper, it was you who destroyed it. You don't deserve to celebrate my birthday even more," she said.
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