Chapter Six: Shadows Of The Past
1288 Words
Sienna stirred a second sugar cube into her cappuccino as Juliette pushed her half-eaten croissant aside.
“You’re not even trying to eat,” Sienna said gently.
Juliette sighed. “My stomach’s a knot. Ethan kissed me.”
Sienna’s spoon froze mid-stir;
“Wait………what? Ethan, as in Ethan Whitmore, kiss……kissed you?”
Juliette nodded, her lips tightening.
“Okay, back up. How? When?”
“At Bastion Grill, Yesterday. Lucas tricked me into taking a meeting at Whitmore Holdings. Ethan was there. He asked me to have lunch and…”
Sienna leaned forward. “And?”
“And it was like no time had passed but also… like too much time had.”
Sienna exhaled. “You still love him.”
“I shouldn’t.”
“But you do.”
Juliette didn’t deny it.
Sienna watched her for a long moment, then set down her cup;
“There’s something else, isn’t there?”
Juliette looked away, her voice came out in a whisper;
“He doesn’t know.”
“Know what?” Sienna asked, confusingly.
Juliette’s fingers trembled; “That I had his child.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Sienna blinked, stunned. “Juliette…”
Juliette’s eyes glistened as she gripped the edge of the table;
“I didn’t plan to keep it from him. We were just reckless on that trip, five days of pretending the world didn’t exist, and then he didn’t show up that night.”
Sienna’s voice was soft, cautious. “The night you both agreed to meet at the dock?”
Juliette nodded slowly. “I was there, Sienna. I waited for hours, and I told myself he was late, that something had delayed him, but he never came. I went back to the villa in tears, packed my things, and left the next morning. I thought… I thought I meant nothing to him after all.”
“But you told me neither of you shared personal info,” Sienna said gently.
“We didn’t. No last names, no social media, no contact info, just that one meeting spot. We wanted it to be real pure without any pressure. Turns out, that made it easier to disappear from each other too.”
Sienna reached across the table and took her hand. “And when did you find out?”
“Two weeks later,” Juliette said.
"I’d just returned to London, I’d been feeling off, nauseous and exhausted. I thought it was stress or the flu, but then… well.” She let out a hollow laugh. “The test was positive.”
“And your parents?” Sienna asked softly.
“They were shocked, but they supported me completely. My mom insisted I move back home for a while. I gave birth at a private clinic in the city. They’ve helped me raise Milo ever since.”
“Wait… Milo?” Sienna whispered.
Juliette smiled through her tears;
“He’s just over two. Talks like he’s three, though and runs like he owns the world. He knows I’m his mother, but sometimes he calls my parents ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ too. I never corrected him. I figured he’d understand in his own time.”
Sienna was quiet for a beat. “And Ethan doesn’t know? At all?”
Juliette shook her head. “How could he? We lost each other. I never even knew his full name until I saw him again at the restaurant.”
“God, Juliette.” Sienna exhaled. “You’ve been carrying this for three years.”
“I wasn’t trying to punish him. I just... didn't know how to find him And when I did, I didn’t know how to tell him. I still don’t.”
Sienna’s eyes were glassy. “You have to, he deserves to know he has a son.”
Juliette looked down. “He also deserves the choice, and I don’t know if I’m ready to risk what little we’ve started to rebuild.”
“You’re protecting Milo. I get that, but hiding this truth forever? That’s not protection, it’s a wall, one you’ll eventually crash into.”
Juliette let out a shaky breath. “Every time I see Ethan, I wonder if he’d even want to know. What if he doesn’t want the responsibility? What if he hates me for keeping it from him?”
“And what if he doesn’t?” Sienna countered. “What if he wants to be the father Milo needs?”
Juliette’s silence was louder than any answer.
Sienna’s voice softened. “You always say you want to be strong for your son, but strength doesn’t mean doing it alone.”
Later that evening, in Juliette’s Parents’ Home
“Mommy!” Milo squealed as Juliette stepped through the door.
Juliette dropped her purse and knelt, arms wide. He ran into her at full speed, nearly knocking her over. Elaine peeked in from the kitchen. “He’s been waiting at the door for the last fifteen minutes.”
Juliette ruffled Milo’s dark curls. “I miss you today, bug.” Scooping him up into her arms.
He waved the paper in her face with a proud grin. “Look!”
“Did you draw this?” she asked, even though it was mostly bold red lines and a happy splash of yellow.
He nodded, beaming. “Boom!”
“Boom indeed,” she laughed, kissing his cheek. “You’re my little artist.”
Elaine smiled as Juliette stood and followed her to the kitchen. “Long day?”
“Long week,” Juliette murmured.
Elaine poured her tea without asking. “He still doesn’t know?”
“No, not yet.”
Elaine gave her daughter a long look. “I know it’s not my place but that man deserves to know, and your son deserves a complete story.”
Juliette sighed. “I’m scared of what comes next.”
Elaine touched her hand. “Then be scared but don’t be silent.”
Before Juliette could respond, Milo returned, shoving a crayon drawing into her hands.
“It’s us!” he declared. “You’re the princess, and I’m the dragon.”
Juliette blinked at the crooked hearts and the stick-figure wings.
“I love it,” she whispered, pulling him into her arms again. “More than anything.”
As she held him close, her gaze drifted to the window, to the fading light beyond the curtains. For a moment, the laughter in the room fell away, replaced by the memory of another evening… one that had changed everything.
The golden hush of a Florence sunset brushed across the cobblestones like paint on silk. Juliette stood at the dock, arms folded tight around herself, the hem of her dress catching the breeze. He had said seven, it was past nine.
Tourists strolled by, hand in hand, oblivious to the ache in her chest. The water shimmered and time stretched. She checked her phone again, the walkway, the corner where he was supposed to appear, nothing, he wasn’t there.
She sat down on the wooden bench and waited a little longer until hope turned to ache. Until the stars came out, and her suitcase felt heavier than her heart.
The sky outside was darker now. Milo had dozed off beside her, his tiny fingers still clutching his paper masterpiece. Juliette gently slid the drawing onto the coffee table and stood, walking out onto the balcony for air.
Somewhere across the city, Ethan Whitmore was living his life, unaware of the child he’d never met… and the promise that never got fulfilled.
The breeze kissed her cheeks, and for the first time in years, she didn’t cry, but she whispered into the night,
“Don’t disappear this time.”
- Writer
