Something in Ethan's face hardened then, as if a wall had cracked under pressure. His eyes reddened, bloodshot not from pain but from emotions finally catching up to him.
Axel noticed but didn't stop. "She and my wife already planned to celebrate your birthday at our house. That was before they even knew I had found you."
Ethan let out a shaky breath, half a laugh, and half something dangerously close to breaking. "So… I've been invited to my own birthday without knowing it?"
"Apparently," Axel said lightly, trying to lighten the heaviness in the room. "You're very popular, Noah Henry Davis. Ugh, it sounds weird to call you that. For now, I'll call you Ethan..."
That earned a quiet chuckle from Ethan, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
Axel handed the iPad to him. "This is your family."
Ethan hesitated before taking it. The screen lit up, revealing photos, documents, and names. His parents. His childhood. Faces he didn't remember but somehow recognized all the same.
