How could she forget

Naomi stood in the middle of the room, her mind racing, but her mouth felt glued shut. How could she have forgotten? Today was her father's birthday. It wasn't like her to forget something so important, especially when her father usually spent days leading up to the occasion talking about it.

He would lament about how old he was getting, grumbling about his age, and reminiscing about the good old days. But now, with the reality of the moment crashing down on her, Naomi realized she hadn't even thought to prepare something for him. It was unthinkable.

She couldn't believe it had slipped her mind, and yet, here she was, dumbfounded. Even though he hadn't been the best father, only caring about his public image, he had supported her many times in shielding her from her mother's wrath.

But before she could respond, Zylan's calm voice cut through her thoughts.