When Ellen visits Paul’s grave, seeking solace, she’s puzzled by the sight of children’s shoes resting on his headstone. At first, she dismisses it, assuming it’s a mistake by another grieving family. But as more shoes appear over time, the mystery deepens. Determined to understand, Ellen eventually catches the person responsible—and her life changes in an instant.
The first time I saw the shoes, I thought someone had made a mistake. A small pair of blue sneakers lay beside Paul’s headstone, neatly arranged as if left with intention. I figured a grieving parent had misplaced them. People do strange things when they mourn—I know I did. After Paul passed away in a sudden accident, I spent an entire week making jam that I knew I’d never eat. It was the only thing that made me feel like I was doing something, anything.
But those shoes were different. They didn’t belong, and I moved them aside before placing my flowers by Paul’s grave. It wasn’t until my next visit that I noticed something unusual: there were more shoes. This time, tiny red rain boots. Then, during another visit, I found dark green sneakers. It was too deliberate to be random. And it didn’t make sense. Paul and I never had children. I tried to convince myself it was a mistake—a grieving parent finding comfort in placing shoes at the wrong grave—but deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
As the shoes multiplied with each visit, it felt like an invisible hand was pulling at the fragile threads of peace I had stitched together. Frustrated, I stopped visiting for a while, hoping that by staying away, the shoes would disappear. They didn’t. Instead, they kept coming. When I finally returned, six pairs of children’s shoes stood in a neat row beside Paul’s headstone, like a haunting tribute I couldn’t comprehend.
My sadness turned into anger. Who was doing this? Was this some cruel joke?
Then, one cold morning, I finally saw her. She was crouched beside the grave, gently placing a pair of small brown sandals next to the growing collection. Her long, dark hair swayed in the breeze as she carefully arranged them, her movements slow and purposeful.
“Hey! You!” I yelled, charging toward her, the flowers I had brought slipping from my grasp, forgotten.
She flinched but didn’t run. Instead, she stood slowly, dusting off her coat before turning to face me. That’s when my breath caught in my throat.
It was Maya—Paul’s old secretary. I hadn’t seen her in years, not since she abruptly left her job. She had always been warm and cheerful, but the woman standing before me now seemed burdened with a sorrow I recognized all too well.
“Maya?” I whispered, the disbelief heavy in my voice.
She nodded, her eyes red with unshed tears. Without a word, she reached into her coat pocket and handed me a worn photograph. My hands shook as I took it, my heart pounding in my chest.
It was a picture of Paul, smiling down at a baby boy cradled in his arms.
“His name is Oliver,” Maya said softly. “He’s Paul’s son.”
I stumbled backward, the world spinning as the weight of her words sank in. My husband, the man I thought I knew so well, had lived a secret life—with a child.
“You and Paul were…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
Maya nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I never wanted to hurt you. But after Paul’s accident, Oliver started asking about his dad. I told him Paul was watching over him, and every time Oliver gets a new pair of shoes, he asks me to bring the old ones to his daddy.”
The shoes… they were a child’s way of staying connected to the father he had lost.
I wanted to scream, to demand answers from a man who could no longer give them. But standing there, staring at the shoes left behind by a little boy who would never know his father, I felt my anger start to melt into something else—something softer.
Maya looked at me with guilt etched on her face. “I’ll stop bringing the shoes. I never meant to upset you.”
HAZEL ROBERTS, JULIA ROBERTS’ 16-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, MAKES HER RED CARPET DEBUT
Julia Roberts is one of the rare celebrities who lives a relatively ordinary existence. She has been married to cinematographer Daniel Moder for 19 years, and the couple appears to be extremely happy.
he couple has three children: twins Phinnaeus and Hazel, both 16, and a son, Henry, 14.
Both Roberts and Moder try to keep their children out of the public eye, which is why we rarely see them attending public events or sharing images on social media.
While Penn’s children played characters in the film, Hazel did not, but she attended the ceremony to support her father’s efforts.
Hazel’s amazing beauty drew everyone’s attention.
While some claim she inherited her mother’s nose, many believe she’s a striking likeness of her handsome father, so it’s no surprise she’s attractive herself. Hazel has blonde hair and blue eyes.
She was dressed in a soft yellow long lace gown and black Mary Jane heels. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her make-up was modest. A true woman!
Moder was clearly proud of his girl and spent the entire evening by her side.
Whether Hazel or her siblings are interested in pursuing professions in the film industry is unknown because their parents rarely speak about their children and prefer to keep them out of the spotlight, which is understandable given Roberts’ grounded nature.
Despite her great income, which is reported to be approximately $250 million, she has never acted like a diva and has always maintained a humble demeanor.
In 2016, Hazel and her brothers played minor roles in Robert’s film Mother’s Day.
In 2018, Roberts told Harper’s Bazaar about her children:
“I don’t think they’ll ever understand (my fame). I think I told you once that when they started figuring it out, they were like, ‘You’re famous?’”
“And I said, ‘I think a lot of people might have seen the movie that I’m in or might know who I am.’”
She then discussed the issues that today’s youngsters experience, saying, “It’s different than when I might have said to my mom, ‘Mom, you don’t know what it’s like to be a teenager today,’ even though she probably did.”
Danny and I have no idea what it’s like to be an adolescent today. When my children ask me questions, I just tell them, ‘I’m going to say no and check into it because I have no idea what we’re talking about.’”
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