By daily 
Today is my birthday, and I had woken up with a quiet excitement. I didn’t need a big party or fancy gifts—just a few messages, a call, a simple “Happy Birthday” to remind me that people cared. But as the hours passed, my phone stayed eerily quiet. No texts, no notifications, not even the usual flood of social media posts.
I told myself it was early. People were probably busy or had forgotten the date for the moment. But as the morning stretched into the afternoon, the silence became harder to ignore. I glanced at my phone more often than I’d like to admit, each time hoping to see that familiar birthday message light up the screen. But it stayed dark, as if the world had forgotten today was supposed to be special.
By lunchtime, a knot had formed in my chest. The cake I’d bought myself sat untouched on the counter. I had thought maybe I’d share it with someone later, but now, it felt like a hollow gesture. The loneliness weighed heavier with each passing hour.