Chapter 133

OLIVIA I glanced at my phone to check who was calling, even though I already had a feeling it was him. And sure enough, it was Noah. I lifted the phone back to my ear, breathing quietly as I waited for him to speak. For a few seconds, all I could hear was background noise on the other end—muffled voices, faint music, the low hum of conversation. Then, gradually, it faded into silence. “Olivia, it’s my birthday today,” Noah said. His voice was hoarse, but steady. “I know. Aiden told us earlier. Happy—” I stopped myself. The word caught in my throat. Now that I knew what had happened to him in the past—about the trauma his mother had shared with me—I wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the words happy birthday. The greeting suddenly felt misplaced. “I hope this year brings you some peace… and that something you’ve been hoping for finally comes true,” I said instead. There was a brief pause on the line. “Come here and celebrate my birthday with me,” he said. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t forcefu