The wind outside was calm, and the sky was a soft blue with a few drifting clouds. Peter walked through Central Park holding Lea's hand.
She wore a sparkly pink dress and carried a small cat-shaped backpack, skipping beside him while holding a little balloon from the ice cream shop.
Peter bowed playfully like a prince.
"So, my princess… how was the royal dessert?"
Lea placed her hands on her stomach and pretended to groan.
"Too much royal sugar!" Then she laughed. "But it was perfect."
Peter laughed and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear "Good… because you deserve a perfect day."
She suddenly looked up at him and asked in a quiet voice, "Even if I'm not your real daughter?"
Peter stopped walking. He knelt in front of her and looked directly into her eyes.
"You are my daughter, Lea. This has nothing to do with blood or science. You are part of me… and I will always protect you."
She hesitated… then threw herself into his arms. "Okay," she said, smiling happily.
Back at the apartment, Felicia was finishing up the living room decorations. Color was everywhere, balloons and presents arranged on the table.
But something about the atmosphere felt… off. Not everything was as it seemed.
Susan Storm stood by the window, inflating balloons with little interest, while her daughter Valeria helped organize decorations with meticulous focus.
Her brother Franklin was fiddling with a sound-and-light box, trying to reprogram it into a musical birthday surprise.
On the opposite side of the room stood Rio Morales, quietly scrolling through her phone, glancing up occasionally.
She tried to seem engaged, but it was obvious she felt disconnected from the group.
She didn't speak much, though she smiled politely whenever Lea passed by and nodded in acknowledgment.
She wasn't used to being around her son's "mentor's" friends, and the girl they only recently learned about had stirred something within her—a subtle sadness.
She wasn't hostile exactly, but there was a quiet tension in how she avoided eye contact with Felicia.
Jennifer Walters, the lawyer and hero known as She-Hulk, observed the entire scene silently. She was helping hang the banner that read, "Happy Birthday, Lea!"
But her eyes kept drifting between Susan and Felicia… and occasionally toward Rio.
Something was clearly unsaid.
Jennifer didn't press. She had only recently met Spider-Man—Peter Parker. But it was already obvious the former webslinger was hiding many secrets.
The relationship between Felicia and Susan was icy. The two had exchanged only a few words all day.
Their glances were brief, cool. It was obvious that whatever had happened recently between Peter and Mary Jane had shaken everyone—especially Susan.
Her husband was now permanently paralyzed. Her brother and Ben were still hospitalized at a Baxter-affiliated facility.
The silver lining was that both Johnny and Ben had begun to show signs of recovery, and their powers were slowly returning.
Susan glanced at her children anxiously.
Valeria remained focused on her task.
Franklin… well, only he knew what he was doing with that device.
It seemed they had accepted that their father would never walk again. The only part of his body he could still move… were his eyes.
Susan returned to decorating. They were nearly done. All they needed now was the birthday girl.
She glanced sideways and saw Felicia still working on the decorations too.
In all honesty, Susan had no idea why Peter had decided to go back to that woman.
She'd lost count of how many times Peter had told her that Felicia had tricked him, broken his heart, manipulated him.
And now… there she was again, standing in Peter's apartment like she belonged there—as if none of it had ever happened.
It made Susan feel suffocated every time she saw that woman near Peter.
Her eyes burned into Felicia's back.'
Why her…? Why not me? Was my hesitation the reason I lost him? Did I lose him forever…?'
Her thoughts stopped when the doorbell rang. Everyone took their places, ready to surprise the birthday girl.
Peter opened the door with Lea beside him. The moment she saw the decorations, she gasped.
"Woooow!"
Felicia smiled softly, hiding every bit of her inner tension."Happy birthday, princess."
Lea rushed in excitedly, calling out,
"Franklin! Valeria!"
The two kids ran toward her, and the three of them began playing amid the balloons and laughter.
Peter approached Felicia and the other women, whispering, "Thank you… I think she'll remember this day forever."
Rio, watching Lea with Franklin and Valeria, smiled gently."We just wanted her to feel loved… even if it's not much."
Some time later, Lea sat on the floor, opening her gifts.
A doll, a coloring book, a simple electronic bracelet from Franklin, who gave it to her with a shy smile.
Then she reached a strangely wrapped box. Plain brown paper. No name.
Lea hesitated.
"Who brought this one?"
Everyone looked around… no one answered.
Peter stepped forward cautiously.
"Lea, wait—"
But she had already opened it.
Inside … was an old, faded photograph.
Leah's eyes were filled with tears when she saw the picture.
.
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