Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 235

Aside from holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays, nearly every other photo she had of him was secretly snapped—private little moments she’d captured over the past five years. Each picture was a silent confession, proof of how deeply she loved him.

Only when you truly care for someone do you feel the urge to immortalize every side of them, always feeling that no number of photos is ever enough, that you can never look at them too much.

Five years. Almost two thousand days. Even if she’d taken just one photo a day, she’d have well over a thousand by now. But of course, there was never just one a day.

This time, she didn’t hesitate. Her fingers swept ruthlessly across the screen, selecting them all, and then she tapped “delete.”

Five years. Nearly two thousand days and nights—erased with a few quick flicks of her fingers.

She emptied the “recently deleted” folder as well, and with that, his image vanished completely from her photo gallery.

Her phone suddenly felt strangely empty.

And somewhere inside her, it felt as if something had been hollowed out too.

But she wasn’t sad.

It was a bit like those trendy decluttering videos online: once you toss out the old junk, your whole home feels brighter, lighter. Fresh air seems to flood in.

Outside, the sky was a brilliant blue, sunlight gilding the world in shimmering gold. Everything sparkled.

Cresthaven.

It was early evening.

Theodore returned to his office from outside.

As he opened the door, a shower of flower petals rained down on him. He blinked in surprise—sometime while he was out, someone had filled the room with balloons and fresh bouquets.

“Happy birthday!”

Cecilia Chambers’ sweet, exuberant voice rang out, and she and Jared Hanley popped out from their hiding spots.

Only then did it dawn on Theodore—it was his birthday.

For the past five years, he’d always forgotten his own birthday. It was always Emma who—

“Coming.” He pocketed his phone and caught up with the group.

Cecilia’s restaurant of choice was only a block from her apartment.

“This place is perfect,” she declared. “If any of us get too tipsy, we can just crash at my place.”

“Good thinking,” Jared agreed, grinning. “Cici always knows best.”

Cecilia shot him a look, then turned to the host. “Miss Chambers. We have a reservation.”

“Of course. Right this way.” The host led them to a private room.

The moment the door opened, music filled the air.

Theodore froze again in surprise.

The room wasn’t just decked out with flowers and balloons. Across from him, a giant screen displayed a slideshow—photos of him, Cecilia, Jared, and Hanley from their college days, flickering one after another.