Chapter 44
Contains spoilersOverview
On the eve of filming, Harry’s forty-fifth birthday is celebrated with a disguised, private picnic for Evelyn, Celia, John, Harry, and baby Connor. The afternoon crystallizes their makeshift family’s joy and intimacy. Evelyn closes with stark foreshadowing, signaling that her forthcoming choices will shatter this harmony.
Summary
As filming for Three A.M. is about to start, Harry turns forty-five and requests a simple day with their core group. Evelyn, Celia, and John organize a picnic, with Luisa preparing the food and Celia making sangria. John buys a large umbrella to shield them from onlookers and picks up wigs and sunglasses to complete their disguises.
They surprise Harry in the park, with Connor riding on Harry’s back and laughing as he bounces her along. At the picnic blanket, everyone dons wigs and sunglasses, the playful conceit granting them a rare sense of anonymity and freedom. The group settles in, teasing Evelyn for contributing the least, and all of them—including Connor—laugh together.
The relaxed afternoon highlights their chosen-family bond: Harry’s tenderness with Connor, Celia’s care, John’s protective planning, and Evelyn’s contentment in the moment. The scene underscores what they value—privacy, safety, and togetherness—just as the pressures of public life and a new film loom.
Evelyn closes with a stark reflection: this was one of the last times they were all happy together. She foreshadows that her own actions afterward will rupture this fragile peace, raising the stakes for what is about to come.
Who Appears
- Evelyn Hugo
Narrator; helps plan Harry’s birthday picnic, enjoys rare anonymity, and foreshadows she will soon ruin their family’s happiness.
- Harry Cameron
Turns forty-five; requests a simple day; delights in a disguised family picnic and dotes on Connor.
- Celia St. James
Co-conspires on the picnic, brings sangria, and shares a carefree, intimate afternoon with their chosen family.
- John Braverman
Plans practical cover with umbrella, wigs, and sunglasses; helps orchestrate the secretive, protected picnic.
- Connor Cameron
Infant daughter of Evelyn and Harry; rides on Harry’s back and laughs, symbolizing the family’s brief happiness.