Chapter 1 - Seven Candles
Nolan had begun counting the days to his seventh birthday in early June.
He drew a small calendar on the last page of his school notebook and crossed out each morning with a blue pencil. He did not ask for a large party. He did not request entertainers, a rented hall, or an expensive gift.
He wanted chocolate cake, seven candles, and dinner with both of his parents.
Nicole found the list beneath his pillow.
At the bottom, Nolan had added one more wish.
Maybe Dad can stay home all evening.
Nicole folded the paper carefully and returned it to its hiding place.
Alistair had missed Nolan’s school concert, the family reading day, and two parent conferences. Each time, he blamed meetings at Hawthorne Development Group.
Nicole had once believed him.
Lately, she had begun to understand that Alistair was not always busy. Sometimes he simply preferred places where people admired him.
At home, he was impatient with questions, noise, and anything that required emotional effort.
Mason’s arrival had made the difference impossible to ignore.
Mason was the son of Alistair’s late older brother, Edward. After Edward and his wife died in an accident two years earlier, Thomas established a generous guardianship arrangement. Mason lived with his maternal aunt during the school year but spent weekends and holidays with the Hawthorne family.
Nicole welcomed him from the beginning.
He was a quiet, intelligent boy who had already experienced more loss than most adults. Nolan adored him and followed him around the house, asking about school, basketball, and video games.
Alistair treated Mason differently from everyone else.
He praised every grade, every goal, and every confident answer. When Mason won a science competition, Alistair rented a private room at a restaurant.
When Nolan brought home a drawing selected for the school display, Alistair glanced at it for three seconds.
“That’s nice,” he said before returning to his phone.
Nicole initially thought Alistair’s attention toward Mason came from grief. Perhaps Mason reminded him of Edward. Perhaps caring for his nephew helped him feel close to the brother he had lost.
But grief did not explain why Alistair had begun comparing the boys.
“Mason never complains.”
“Mason understands discipline.”
“Mason knows how to behave around adults.”
Each comparison made Nolan quieter.
A week before his birthday, Nolan approached Alistair in the study.
“Dad?”
Alistair continued typing.
“What?”
“Can you come home early next Thursday?”
“Why?”
Nolan’s face fell for a moment before he forced a smile.
“It’s my birthday.”
Alistair looked at the digital calendar on his laptop.
“I know that.”
“Mom said we can have chocolate cake.”
“Then have chocolate cake.”
Nolan stood near the desk, waiting for something more.
Alistair sighed.
“What exactly do you want?”
“Just dinner.”
“I’ll see what my schedule looks like.”
That evening, Alistair called Mason and promised him a new tablet if his end-of-term grades remained high.
Nicole heard the conversation from the hallway.
When Alistair ended the call, she entered the study and closed the door.
“Nolan asked you for one evening.”
“And I said I would check.”
“You didn’t need to check before promising Mason a tablet.”
Alistair leaned back in his chair.
“Mason earned that tablet.”
“Nolan isn’t asking for a tablet.”
“Then what is the problem?”
“The problem is that our son is beginning to believe he has to compete for your attention.”
Alistair’s expression hardened.
“That boy has everything.”
“He has rooms full of things,” Nicole said. “That isn’t the same as having you.”
Alistair stood.
“I won’t be lectured about parenting in my own home.”
Nicole looked at him for a long moment.
The house had been built by Thomas. The furniture had been purchased through the family trust. Even the study belonged to a company Alistair did not own.
Still, he called everything his.
May you like
Nicole wondered when he had started doing that.
More importantly, she wondered when everyone else had allowed him to believe it.
