Jannat’s mother sat on the couch, staring blankly at the television.
The TV wasn’t turned on, and the whole house felt cold and empty.
Jannat’s father came out, holding a glass of water, and said, “Have some warm water and go to bed early.”
Suddenly, Jannat’s mother burst into tears. “Jannat said she would give me a gift on my birthday.”
“Today is already my birthday, but my Jannat will never come back…”
They had rehearsed the goodbyes a million times, but they never expected to say goodbye for real. It was still hard to accept.
She covered her face, and suppressed sobs escaped through her fingers…
Jannat’s father felt a pang in his heart, almost struggling to breathe.
He leaned against the armrest of the couch and slowly sat down, embracing Jannat’s mother.
“It’s okay, it’s okay…” he murmured. “Jannat has gone to heaven, where there is no more pain…”
Jannat’s mother cried out in pain.
Yes, in heaven, there would be no more pain.
No more taking medication every day, no more restrictions on what she could eat or touch.
No more frequent visits to the hospital, even spending holidays there at times.
No more being cautious and afraid of bumping or running around.
Amid her breakdown, she suddenly heard a knock on the door.
At first, neither of them heard it, but later, it felt somewhat familiar.
The rhythm and volume of the knocking… it was familiar!
“Ja… Jannat?” Jannat’s mother looked at the door in astonishment.
Jannat’s father, holding back his sorrow, whispered, “It must be someone else, maybe we disturbed the neighbors?”
But there was no sound in the house now, so it shouldn’t be…
Jannat’s father, puzzled, stood up and prepared to open the door.
Jannat’s mother suddenly stood up as well, her steps becoming anxious and shaky. “I… I’ll go too.”
What if it’s Jannat?
She had said she would celebrate her birthday with her.
What if Jannat had returned…
The couple reached the door, clutching the doorknob, but hesitated to open it.
Finally, the sound of knocking sounded outside the door again.
Beyond the door, Jannat grimaced.
She knocked on the door in the middle of the night. Mom and Dad must have been scared.
She had just heard her mom and dad’s voice faintly, but now it was quiet.
Finally, the door rang with a creak and slowly opened.
Jannat’s mother held her breath and immediately saw Jannat standing at the door, holding something in her arms. When she saw her mother open the door, she froze for a moment.
“Jannat!” Jannat’s mother widened her eyes, covering her mouth.
It was Jannat… she had come back!
Jannat was overjoyed but also worried and afraid that her parents wouldn’t accept it…
She quickly raised the glass bottle in her arms and smiled. “Mom! Happy birthday!”
In the next moment, her mother rushed towards her…
Hiding in the stairwell, Lilly felt a hint of darkness in her eyes. For some reason, she thought of Pablo lunging at Nana but passing through her…
Her finger twitched, about to embrace an empty Jannat’s mother, but instead, she solidly embraced Jannat.
Jannat’s father was stunned for a long time, struggling to hold back tears, and finally couldn’t help but embrace Jannat’s mother and Jannat. He hoarsely said, “Jannat, my Jannat!”
After a long while, Jannat’s father was the first to recover. He looked outside and asked, “Jannat, how did you come back…”
Jannat smiled brightly. “A brother and a sister helped me come back.”
There was a cake on the floor. Jannat couldn’t pick up the cake if she was holding the glass bottle; she had already exhausted her strength.
“Mom, here’s the cake for you. Happy birthday!” Jannat’s father struggled to find words as he held the cake.
The cake was exquisite, a small one with rose petals sprinkled on top.
Jannat’s mother couldn’t take her eyes off Jannat; she couldn’t get enough of looking at her.
She brought her inside, never taking her eyes off her.
Her Jannat now looked like a healthy child.
She was wearing her favorite dress, the one she cried about when she lost her hair… now she had hair again, even tied into beautiful braids.
With each blink of her big eyes, she melted her mother’s heart.
“Jannat…” Jannat’s mother kissed her face, feeling an inexplicable lightness and happiness at this moment.
Jannat’s father, too, suddenly felt at ease, as if he had forgotten everything that happened before.
He busily cleaned up the table, then placed the cake on it and lit the candles.
“Come on, let’s sing the birthday song!” he said with a beaming smile.
Jannat clapped happily. “Dad, don’t we need thirty candles?”
Jannat’s father chuckled. “No, three are enough.”
The candles were lit, and the family of three sang the birthday song. In the candlelight, Jannat’s mother was filled with happiness, and Jannat was also very happy.
Jannat’s mother closed her eyes to make a wish, and together with Jannat, blew out the candles.
The small cake was just enough for the three of them to finish.
Jannat loved the cake, but since she started treatment, she had forgotten what it tasted like.
Jannat’s parents, on the other hand, hadn’t had a proper meal in days, so this “meal” turned into an incredibly happy “feast” for them.
“Mom, this is for you… a big surprise!” Jannat held up the glass bottle. “I worked on it for a long time! I air-dried the flowers!”
“Mom, did you see the little star on top? There are hidden words inside for you to read!”
