Chapter 20 - julian came home without asking avice to come with himSix months after his resignation, Julian’s supervised contact ended.
The family court approved short unsupervised daytime visits.
No overnight stays yet.
Cesare expected Julian to celebrate.
He did not.
He called the night before.
“I don’t know what to do with her.”
Cesare almost laughed.
“She is not a bomb.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, actually.”
Julian sighed.
“What if she thinks I’m trying to make her move back?”
“Then don’t.”
“What if she wants to leave early?”
“Bring her back.”
“What if she doesn’t want to come at all?”
Cesare paused.
“Then you survive being disappointed.”
Silence.
Julian absorbed that.
The next morning he arrived at ten.
Avice came downstairs carrying the stuffed whale.
She stopped when she saw him.
“Where are we going?”
Julian smiled nervously.
“Where do you want?”
“You planned nothing?”
“I planned six things.”
Avice looked suspicious.
“And?”
“I was told that might be controlling.”
Cesare hid a smile.
Avice considered.
“Aquarium?”
Julian’s face changed.
Cesare knew why.
The aquarium was where everything exploded.
Avice noticed.
“You don’t want?”
Julian shook his head.
“No. I want.”
Cesare looked at him.
Julian understood.
This would be his first return.
Good.
Father and daughter left together.
Cesare spent three hours pretending not to check the clock.
They came back at one-forty.
Avice entered first.
She was carrying a paper bag.
“What’s that?”
“Shark tooth.”
Julian followed.
Cesare examined his son’s face.
No triumph.
No expectation of praise.
“How was it?”
Avice answered.
“Dad’s coffee is worse than yours.”
Cesare looked offended.
“Impossible.”
“It is.”
Julian smiled.
Then Avice ran upstairs.
Cesare lowered his voice.
“How was it really?”
Julian looked toward the staircase.
“She asked if I wanted another baby.”
Cesare froze.
“What did you say?”
“The truth.”
“Which is?”
“I don’t know.”
Good.
Julian continued.
“Then she asked if I did have one, would I like it more because it was new.”
Cesare’s chest tightened.
“What did you say?”
“I told her I had already made her feel replaceable once, and I would spend the rest of my life making sure I never built a family that required her to become smaller.”
Cesare studied him.
“Good answer.”
“I don’t know if she believed me.”
“She doesn’t have to today.”
Julian nodded.
Then surprised Cesare.
“I’m selling the house.”
“The house?”
The home Julian had shared with Vanessa.
Where the fake nursery still sat behind a locked door.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I realized I’ve been keeping a room for a baby that never existed.”
Cesare said nothing.
Julian’s eyes filled.
“And Avice knows it’s there.”
That hurt.
“She asked why the fake baby still gets a bedroom.”
Cesare closed his eyes.
Of course she had.
“What will you do?”
“I asked her.”
Cesare looked at him.
“She wants bookshelves.”
Cesare smiled.
“Then build bookshelves.”
Julian did.
Not a giant princess room.
Not a guilt monument.
Just a reading room.
Two walls of shelves.
A big chair.
A desk for drawing.
And one empty lower shelf Avice insisted was for her stuffed animals.
The fake nursery disappeared.
May you like
Not because anyone pretended the lie never happened.
Because a real child needed the space more than an imaginary one.
Related Stories
