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June, 1990
John hadn’t expected the news to hit him the way it did. Sitting in his L.A. apartment, flipping through a tabloid magazine left on his kitchen table, the headline struck him like a punch to the gut: "Valerie Moltisanti and David Sylvian Welcome Daughter Vivienne – A Private Journey Revealed." Beneath the bold text was a photo of Valerie walking through a park, cradling a baby wrapped in a soft blanket. Her face was partially obscured by sunglasses, but her unmistakable grace shone through—Valerie, his Valerie, had become a mother. And not just any mother, but the mother of a little girl named Vivienne, who was now five months old. The news, like everything about her, had come in a rush, uninvited and unexpected. But this time, it was different. This time, John wasn’t going to ignore it.
He had gotten the phone number through his agent, a reluctant concession from the agency when he made his request. Valerie had always been elusive, and the thought of calling her, after everything that had transpired between them, felt foreign. Still, he pressed on, dialed the number, and waited.
When the phone rang on the other end, his heart hammered against his chest. The moment it was picked up, he heard her voice—so familiar, so distant, like a ghost of the past.
"Valerie," he said softly, the sound of her name pulling at something deep inside him.
"John?" Her voice was tentative, cautious, but there was no malice in it. Only surprise.
"I… I heard about Vivienne," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, trying to keep the cracks from forming. "I… I just wanted to know how you’ve been."
There was a long pause on the line. John could hear her breathing, the sound of her thoughts swirling, calculating what to say next.
"I’m good," Valerie replied finally, her tone calm, but John could tell there was an underlying hesitation. She wasn't sure if she should open this door again.
"You don’t have to explain anything," John continued, his voice now more sincere, almost pleading for her understanding. "I just... I just wanted to know how you are."
