The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2
The Angel's Game
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Contents
Act Two - Lux Aeterna — Chapter 10
Overview
David confronts Isabella’s parents and discovers they are anxious, not hostile. He agrees to host Isabella temporarily, on the condition that she visit her family daily and follow his rules. The meeting defuses family conflict and formalizes Isabella’s role as David’s assistant, tightening their alliance.
Summary
At dawn, David visits Isabella’s family grocery to confront her supposedly furious father. Instead of hostility, he meets worried parents who admit to a heated argument with Isabella but deny throwing her out. They fear forcing her return might drive her to run away into danger.
David realizes Isabella exaggerated their threat and, moved by the parents’ distress, promises to look after her until she calms down. The parents, relieved, supply him with food and ask only that he keep her safe, citing recent street violence as a reminder of the city’s risks.
Returning home, David finds Isabella composed and anticipatory. He lays down two conditions: she must visit her parents daily to reassure them, and she must obey his household rules. Isabella gratefully agrees, and when she hugs him, David reasserts boundaries, framing their coexistence as professional and orderly.
The chapter closes with Isabella eagerly assuming domestic initiative—rushing to tidy David’s study—signaling her commitment to the assistant role David has defined and the stabilized truce with her family.
Who Appears
- David MartínProtagonist; confronts Isabella’s parents, promises her safety, sets terms for her stay and assistant role.
- IsabellaHeadstrong teen aspiring writer; reconciled indirectly with parents, agrees to rules and begins assisting David.
- Don OdónIsabella’s father; anxious, remorseful after an argument, entrusts Isabella to David’s care.
- Isabella’s motherWorried, conciliatory; supports the plan for Isabella to stay with David temporarily and visit daily.