At first, I thought he was joking. But his serious expression and casual tone stunned me. “You’re kidding, right?” I whispered.
He shrugged. “Come on, you’re independent. I figured you’d like to show it.”
My parents were shocked. My dad, clearly upset, leaned forward. “You invited us to dinner, and now you’re saying Nora should pay?”
Henry laughed it off, brushing away the tension. “It’s just a birthday meal. Nora’s got that pediatrician salary.”
I felt humiliated. My dad’s anger mirrored my own, but Henry remained indifferent, even suggesting he’d “pay me back later.”
I paid the $1,100 bill, my hands trembling. The evening ended not in celebration but with a profound sense of disappointment.
I left my birthday dinner feeling more alone than ever, wondering who Henry had become—and whether I ever truly knew him.