Daddy Unknown

Chapter 23

Ringing the doorbell, Lizzy waited for Moira to open up.

Mere minutes ago, she'd been standing in the same position at her brother's front door, but to her utter surprise no one had opened up. And when she tried calling his phone, it instantly went to voicemail. It was unlike Harry to turn his phone of. He was the kind of person who always had his phone fully charged, in case of emergencies. Hence why she was feeling so anxious with worry.

As the door opened, Lizzy gasped at the sight that greeted her. Moira's eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks read and puffy from all the crying, presumably.

'Shit,' Moira thought to herself. She hadn't expected any company today, especially not while looking like hell. She was sure her sudden panic was evident to Lizzy, because her shocked demeanour quickly softened, and she began speaking encouragingly. She raised her hands in a gesture meant to placate frightened animals. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah sure," She tried to say casually, though her voice sounded hoarse.

Walking inside, she lead Lizzy to the living room and offered her a drink. Settling on tea for two, she went to the kitchen to boil water. Once that was done, she dipped the tea bags into the cups a few times, then tossed them into the trash can. Making her way back to Lizzy, she set the cups of tea on the coffee table and plopped down next to her on the couch.

"What's wrong?" Harry's sister got straight to the point.

"N-nothing."

"You can trust me, babe. I promise I won't tell Haz." She whispered, and Moira felt her start to rub her back soothingly.

Hesitating for a moment, but then deciding Lizzy would be the best person to help her. She choked out, "Harry left." her lips beginning to quiver. Oh no. she could feel the tears coming again.

"What? Where did he go?"

"Sweden, for three months."

Lizzy was so shocked. Her mouth was hung open in pure astonishment, and all she could do was gape at her.

"And the worst thing is," Moira continued. "He didn't even say goodbye, he just left a fucking note!" She began sobbing on the couch. Weeping echoed through the living room, surrounding her in thick sound waves. Her shoulders shook terribly as she cried into her hands. She'd never felt so betrayed, just when everything was going according to plan, just when she'd let him in. He left.

"What did the note say?" Lizzy asked gently, picking up her tea and taking a sip from it.

She wiped her eyes, trying to get her rapid breathing under control. Rising from her seat, she ventured off into the kitchen to grab the note from she'd left it that morning. "See for yourself." she murmured when she got back, tears falling past her flushed cheeks.

Lizzy took the note from her outstretched hand and began reading.

Baby,

The reason behind Finn's visit yesterday wasn't because he wanted to hang out, I lied. He came by to tell me we'd leave for Sweden today, for three months, to record the new album. I didn't want to ruin our last day together by telling you the news, not when everything has been going so well lately. I love kissing you, I love holding you, interacting and seeing you interact with Ollie. What I'm trying to say is: I didn't and still don't want to leave the two of you. But I don't want to disappoint the boys or the fans and I'm so sorry. I'm only a phone call away so please don't hesitate calling if you need me or just to talk want to talk. I'll when we land, I'm hope you're not too angry. I hate that I can't be there with you the first three months of Ollie's life, so I'd love it if you could send pictures and videos of him. He's very lucky to have you as his mother.