Chapter 35 Eating the Birthday Cake Alone
Chapter 35 Eating the Birthday Cake Alone
Chapter 35 Eating the Birthday Cake Alone
Julian's smile suddenly froze. She struggled for a while and finally forced a smile.
"Just kidding! Why are you so fierce?"
Francis raised his lips and said with a faint smile, "I'm kidding, too."
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People came and went in the restaurant as Lilian quietly waited. Hours passed, but Francis didn't show up.
Resting her chin on her hand, she looked out the window. The lights of the city went out, and the crowded streets became deserted.
Gradually, the restaurant emptied, leaving behind a desolate wasteland, just like the one after the tide.
As the lights outside went out, the lights in the restaurant were also turned off.
The man who had promised to spend her birthday with her had never shown up.
"Mrs. Landau," someone called her from behind.
Lilian snapped out of her daze and turned her head, seeing the manager and two waiters standing beside her.
The manager said with a smile, "We're closing soon."
Lilian came back to her senses belatedly. She looked at the dim lights inside the restaurant and found everyone else had left.
She couldn't exactly describe her feelings as disappointment, as she had grown accustomed to it.
The wait wasn't long-only five hours. Compared to the countless nights she had spent alone in an empty house, five hours were short indeed.
She was about to stand up and leave when the waiter behind the manager brought a cake.
"Mrs. Landau, today is your birthday. The cake was prepared for you in advance. Happy birthday."
The waiter placed the birthday cake in front of her, and the manager said, "It's almost midnight. Finish the cake or make a wish before you leave."
Lilian stared at the flickering flames of the candles on the cake. It wasn't a blessing but rather the manager's sympathy.
She tried to force a smile, though it wouldn't be so beautiful.
Lilian closed her eyes and said to herself inwardly, "Happy birthday, Lilian!"
She didn't make a wish.
The wish made on a birthday cake wouldn't come true because she had tried it before.
Looking at her frail figure, the manager sighed in his heart.
He had noticed that she had been sitting here for hours. The man who had talked to him earlier had arranged everything, saying someone would come later. Yet, five hours had passed, and the one mentioned was nowhere to be seen.
The one who had promised her didn't show up to celebrate her birthday. What a poor lady!
Lilian opened her eyes and blew out the candles, and the manager immediately stepped forward to help cut the cake.
Lilian shared the cake with them. The manager accepted the piece to him with a smile and took out a plastic figurine from his chest pocket, handing it to her. "This is a souvenir from our restaurant, Mrs. Landau. Consider it a birthday gift from us to you."
Lilian looked at the figurine and took it. Then she nodded with a smile and said thanks in sign language.
Only then did the manager realize that she couldn't speak.
In order not to take up too much of their time, Lilian picked up her fork and took a bite of the cake.
As the greasy cream came into her mouth, her stomach churned. But she clenched her teeth and forced the cream down.
She didn't dare to take another bite. She typed a message on her phone for the manager to read, "Thank you. I'll leave now."
"Take care, Mrs. Landau. Would you like us to pack the cake for you?"
Lilian glanced at the cake. Although she couldn't finish it, she had them pack it.
After coming out of the restaurant with the cake, she immediately rushed to the trash can to vomit.
She threw up like crazy. Only when she had expelled the cream from her stomach did she feel slightly better.
The night wind was cold, and she held herself tightly in her own arms. The air in the Linkland City was humid, and the wind carried cold moisture, making the tip of her nose red.
She was walking down the sparsely populated sidewalk, and the dim streetlights on both sides of the road stretched her shadow. She trudged on, her steps on her own shadow.