I woke up to an eerie silence. I hadn’t noticed when exhaustion pulled me under, whether I had cried myself to sleep or simply passed out. My body ached. My head throbbed like I’d been hit by a truck. But none of that mattered. Because the moment I sat up, I realized—
Noah wasn’t in his bed.
My heart dropped. I bolted out of the room, calling his name. “Noah?” I ran down the hall, checking the bathroom, the living room—everywhere. “Noah!”
Silence.
My hands shook as I grabbed my phone and dialed my mother.
She picked up after the third ring, her voice calm, almost bored. “Oh, Emma. Finally awake?”
I could barely breathe. “Where’s Noah?”
“With us, of course. We’re celebrating his birthday.”
I nearly dropped the phone. “What? Without me?”
“Well, you were asleep," she sighed. “Lily and Jason planned a little party for him. He’s having so much fun.”
I clenched my jaw, my nails digging into my palm. “You took my son while I was sleeping? Without telling me?!”
She tsked. “You were exhausted. We didn’t want to wake you.”
My pulse pounded in my ears. “Give him the phone. Now.”
A pause. Then a dismissive chuckle. “Emma, don’t ruin this for him. Let him be happy for once.”