Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

That would have been a great place to be on my birthday since I'd be taking over my father's tech company when I grew up. It sounded like the best place ever

But here I was, all alone with no one to wish me a happy birthday.

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, turning the sky a seft, golden pink, yet Mum and Dad weren't home.

I sighed again, the same heavy sigh that I had been sighing all afternoon.

A cold shiver ran through me as I moved closer to the window, pushed by a force I couldn't see. My leg lifted, just hovering over the sill. The wind picked up, and my long, shoulder-length hair whipped cross my face.

I made up my mind.

I'll jump.

The possible results I thought of getting from the fall made me happy to take the risk.

But then something caught my eye.

A tiny figure was standing just outside the house, by the fence. A little girl, no older than four. She was dressed in a white gown

that fluttered in the breeze, her hair tied with a small ribbon.

She walked across the grass, looking so small. She had these big, bright green eyes. She looked up at me as if she knew exactly

where to look, and when she saw me looking, she smiled.

I froze, my heart thumping in my chest. Who was she? I hadn't seen her before, not up close like this. She was so little, so small.

The kind of smile that made my heart ache a little because it was so pure and so innocent.

Her tiny hand waved at me, and my breath caught. I felt a lump form in my throat, but I didn't know why. Maybe it was because I was just so used to being ignored and not being seen. But here she was, waving at me like I was someone she was happy to see.

"Happy birthday, Kester!" she called out, her voice high and sweet, like the sound of wind chimes. "Some people say it's your birthday!"

My heart skipped a beat. She knew. She knew it was my birthday.

I couldn't answer her, though. I didn't know what to say. I just stood there, staring

at her in disbelief, my hands gripping the window frame.

She didn't seem to mind. She smiled again and pointed at the window. "Close your window, Kester, she said, her voice so soft and filled with concern. "It's going to rain soon. If you fall down from there, you'll die."

Her words were so simple and so matter-of-fact, but it felt like a slap in the face. Not in a bad way, though. More like she was reminding me that I was still important and that I was still worth something.

I blinked as her words sunk in.

I didn't know how to respond, but something inside me shifted. Maybe it was her smile, or maybe it was just the way she said it. But for the first time today, I felt a little spark of warmth in my chest. Someone cared. Someone wished me a happy birthday.

She waved again, that same sweet, innocent wave, and then turned, skipping away. Her small feet pattered across the ground, her

dress fluttering behind her. I watched as she disappeared around the corner, like

a little angel that had come down to remind me that I wasn't forgotten.

I felt something strange bubble up inside of me, something I hadn't felt in a long time: hope.noveldrama

I didn't even know her name, but she'd made my heart feel light, and for a

moment, I forgot about the sadness and the loneliness.

I smiled, the first real smile I'd had all day, closing the window.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad day after all.