Chapter 359: The Birthday Gift That Wasn’t Hers

“None of his damn business. Don’t talk to him,” Ellis said flatly, having zero patience for Easton’s antics. He thought moving in upstairs would change something! Dream on. If something as shallow as that could fix things, then all the pain she’d gone through was for nothing.

“Wait a sec,” Maya said, jogging over. Only then did Ellis notice the bag in Maya’s hand—pink, frilly, and full of soft, pastel vibes. Inside, a neatly wrapped box peeked through the tissue paper. With her birthday tomorrow, Ellis naturally assumed it was a gift from Maya. She smiled. “Is that for me?”

“Yeah,” Maya said, suddenly looking a little awkward. “But…”

“But what?”

“Your ex asked me to give it to you. He bought it for your birthday.”

Ellis instantly took a step back, like the bag was cursed. Her reaction said everything. She looked like she didn’t want to be anywhere near that thing. Maya didn’t blame her—she didn’t want to deliver it either. But stuck in a small elevator with Easton and his overwhelming presence, she had no choice.

“I figured you wouldn’t want it. I’ll give it back to him tomorrow?”

Ellis glanced at the bag and muttered, “He’s seriously the worst.” Maya was the one looking out for her, choosing to live here to keep her company. And now Easton had the nerve to rope Maya into delivering gifts? Total creep behavior.

“Here,” Ellis said, snatching the bag. “You’re busy enough. I’ll return it to him tomorrow.”

That night, after getting ready for bed, Ellis lay down but didn’t feel sleepy at all. Her mind was wide awake. Easton had actually remembered her birthday—and bought her a gift. Did that jerk really think a gift would make her emotional? Not a chance. She hadn’t forgotten how quick he was to take things back whenever he was upset.

Meanwhile, just one floor above, Easton sat in his study. Documents were stacked neatly on the desk. His laptop was open, still in work mode. He’d come home straight from the office, but there was more to finish. Still, his focus wasn’t fully on the work in front of him. His mind kept drifting back to Ellis—and how she might react when she got the gift.

She had always loved celebrating holidays and special dates. It wasn’t until he met her that he realized just how many things people could find a reason to celebrate. With her, it felt like every other day was a holiday or some kind of anniversary. And she had this habit of picking out her own gifts in advance—telling him exactly what to get.

Back then, to avoid arguments, he always just bought whatever she said. Because of that, the more he looked at her, the more he thought she was vain and materialistic. Giving her a no-limit credit card wasn’t enough. Every time something came up, she had to make sure he didn’t forget, didn’t ignore it. She wanted him to personally buy her expensive gifts—proof of her place in his life.

But looking back now…maybe that wasn’t it. If she really cared about money, why would she leave the marriage with nothing? She hadn’t even accepted a cent of compensation. She didn’t want anything from him. She just wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

This year, she hadn’t told him it was her birthday. She didn’t give him a list. Nothing. He had picked out the gift himself, based on what he thought she might like. He had no idea if she’d actually like it.

The next morning, Ellis slept in, waking naturally just after nine. At that hour, Easton would’ve already left for work. Which meant she couldn’t return the gift during the day. She’d have to wait until he came back. What she didn’t expect, though, was that Easton hadn’t stopped at the gift. She soon got a call from a delivery driver.

“Hello, Ms. Harper? Happy birthday! Your cake and the rest of your order have arrived and are now at the front gate. The building staff will bring them up to your door shortly.”

Ever since she’d been attacked by a stranger in the complex, security had been upgraded. No one from outside was allowed in—not delivery people, not couriers, no exceptions. Sure enough, two property staff arrived at her door with the deliveries in hand. The moment she saw the boxes, she knew. Easton again. He was so damn annoying.

She wasn’t starving. She didn’t need his food. She didn’t want anything from him. But the building staff didn’t know where the delivery came from. She couldn’t exactly take it out on them. All she could do was force a polite nod and let them leave the boxes inside. It felt like a charity handout. She had no appetite for it.

She held it together all day, refusing to let it ruin her birthday mood. But by evening, she was done. She pulled Easton’s number out of her blocked list, slammed her thumb onto the dial button, and waited for the call to connect. When he answered, she didn’t waste time.

“You home from work yet?”

Just hearing her voice made Easton pause. The fact that she was calling him—on her own—made every alarm in his head go off. His first thought? She’s pissed. She’s definitely calling to yell at me.