Natalia
Max looked so much better as he blew out his six candles. The sight of him grinning as everyone sang happy birthday made everything feel alright. Whatever Andrei had done upstairs, it had clearly worked.
“Did you make a wish?” Jane asked, bouncing beside her brother. Her mouth was already watering in anticipation for the cake.
“Yep!” Max beamed, still held tightly in Andrei’s arms. “But I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.”
“That’s not fair,” Jane pouted. I couldn’t help but laugh. And it was real, genuine, and completely carefree.
Everything seemed to have worked out in the end.
The party continued for another hour, children running around with frosting-covered faces while the adults chatted over coffee. Max stayed close to Andrei the entire time, and while he was clearly
