I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 41

Bonnie's voice kept chirping on the other end of the line, sounding as if she wouldn't give up until she got her way.

"Promise me, Nora! I want to celebrate your birthday. I haven't celebrated a mom's birthday in so long..."

She paused, as if recalling something sad. "You feel just like a mom to me. Every time I see you, I'm so happy!"

Nora felt a soft, aching tug at her heart and immediately agreed. "Alright, we'll go camping at the beach the day after tomorrow."

"Yay!" Bonnie cheered through the phone.

Before she could finish, the phone was snatched away, and a deep, magnetic voice spoke. "Nora, Bonnie and I will pick you up the morning after next," Xander said.

Hearing Xander's voice, Nora's lips curved into a faint smile. "Thank you, Mr. Harrison."

The line went silent for a moment before the man's deep voice echoed through the receiver again. "Don't mention it. It's all for the kid."

He hung up right after.

Nora mulled over his words. He made it sound like they were a divorced couple taking their child out for a birthday.

She shook her head with a helpless smile, put the phone back in her pocket, and continued upstairs without dwelling on it.

She was babysitting her three days a week—how was that not taking care of a kid?

As Nora turned to head up the stairs, she suddenly remembered how things used to be when Finnegan was still around. Every birthday, he would prepare a massive gift and place it right in the center of the living room, ensuring it was the first thing she saw when she woke up.

But in the later years, the gifts still arrived, but he would always make an excuse to leave.

She had felt a little disappointed back then, but never thought much of it, assuming he was genuinely tied up with unavoidable business matters.

Now she knew the truth. Seraphina shared the exact same birthday.

Sienna had just returned from abroad this year and was completely swamped. Remembering to buy a gift was already incredibly thoughtful.

Nora smiled. "You didn't have to do that. You're so busy, don't worry about it. We don't need to be so formal with each other."

Sienna sounded dead serious on the other end. "No way! How could I not do something for your birthday? Listen, babe, once I get through this crazy patch, I'll definitely make it up to you properly!"

She blew several loud kisses into the phone, making Nora blush slightly. Just as Nora was chuckling and getting ready to hang up, Sienna hesitated for a split second before speaking again.

"Um... babe, do you happen to have fifty grand lying around? I kind of need to borrow it."

Nora froze. Fifty grand wasn't a small amount, but her first thought wasn't about the money. She was worried Sienna was in some kind of trouble.

"Did something happen?" Nora asked, furrowing her brow.

Sienna forced a laugh. "Oh, it's nothing that serious. I just want to invest in a project recently, and my cash flow is a bit tied up. I was wondering if you could help me float it for a bit."