Chapter 14 - ISABELLA’S BIRTHDAY
On what would have been Isabella’s forty-fifth birthday, Ellie asked for a party.
Victor hesitated.
“A birthday party for someone who died?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she was born.”
Difficult to argue.
They kept it small.
Cake.
Family photographs.
Isabella’s favorite Italian food.
Rose supplied embarrassing childhood stories.
Sophie brought flowers.
Beatrice brought wine.
Helen joined by video again.
Victor expected sadness.
There was some.
Mostly laughter.
Rose showed Ellie a photograph of Isabella at nine with crooked bangs.
Ellie screamed.
“Mom looked terrible!”
Victor nearly choked.
Rose said:
“I cut them.”
“Why?”
“She moved.”
Family history became ordinary.
That was healing.
After cake, Ellie walked to the portrait.
She touched the repaired corner.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Why did Mommy hide things from you?”
Victor could have defended Isabella.
Instead:
“She was scared of how I might react.”
“Would you have been scary?”
He thought.
“Yes.”
Ellie looked surprised by honesty.
“I’m less scary now.”
Rose laughed loudly.
Victor glared.
Ellie smiled.
“Did Mommy do the right thing?”
Harder.
“Some things.”
“Not all?”
“No.”
“She should have told you?”
“Sooner.”
“Would you have listened?”
Victor paused.
“I hope.”
Ellie immediately said:
“That means maybe not.”
Children.
“Yes.”
Maybe not.
He crouched.
“Adults can love each other and still make bad decisions because they’re scared.”
Ellie nodded.
“Like Celestine.”
“Yes.”
“Like Uncle Marco.”
“Yes.”
“Like Mommy.”
“Yes.”
“Like you.”
Victor sighed.
“Unfortunately.”
She hugged him.
Then whispered:
“I’m still glad you’re my dad.”
Victor closed his eyes.
Every trust.
Every surname.
Every hidden letter.
Reduced to that.
Later Grace brought one final unresolved item.
Harrow records showed an old payment to initials R.W.
Possibly Rose Whitaker.
Victor looked at Rose.
She shook her head.
“No.”
Could be another person.
Could be accounting noise.
Secondary thread.
No immediate danger.
Another missing item remained too:
Isabella referenced a “green notebook” once in her audio recording.
Nobody found it.
Maybe destroyed.
Maybe with old estate papers.
Potential future mystery.
Victor no longer treated every missing object as emergency.
The main truth was complete.
Ellie’s alias.
The hospital threat.
Celestine’s role.
Marco’s regret.
Isabella’s evidence.
No hidden paternity.
No secret swap.
No murder conspiracy.
Just a chain of human fear, greed, secrecy, and delayed truth.
Messier.
May you like
More believable.
Enough.
