darling,” she urged, ignoring the birthday girl entirely.
Olivia hesitated for a heartbeat, but Clare gave her a gentle, encouraging push toward the flame. That was when the first sob broke from Norah’s throat. It wasn’t a tantrum or a scream for attention; it was the sound of a heartbroken child watching the adults in her life systematically dismantle the one moment she had waited months for. “Mummy, please,” she sobbed, reaching for my hand. “I want to blow my candles.”
My mother turned to me, her eyes cold and
