Chapter 4 - What Lily Had Been Carrying
I went to Lily’s room after Ethan disappeared into the guest room with the woman.
She was sitting on her bed with her knees pulled to her chest, still wearing her school uniform. She hadn’t even changed.
I sat beside her and waited.
After a minute, she spoke without looking at me.
“I knew something was wrong,” she said. “But I thought if I told you, you would be mad at me. Grandma — Doris — said you already had too much stress. She said I should be a good girl and keep quiet.”
My throat tightened.
“You are a good girl,” I said. “The best. You didn’t do anything wrong by staying quiet. You were scared. That’s not your fault.”
Lily finally looked at me. Her eyes were red.
“She grabbed my arm once when I tried to come out of my room. Not hard. But it hurt. She said if I told you about the man who came over, you would send me away.”
“What man?” I asked gently.
“I don’t know. He came at night. Ethan made me stay in my room with the door closed. I heard them talking in the kitchen. Doris laughed a lot. Not the way she laughs when you’re around.”
I reached over and smoothed her hair.
“From now on, you don’t have to keep any secrets for adults. Not ever. If something feels wrong, you tell me. Even if you’re scared. Especially if you’re scared.”
Lily leaned into my side.
“Are we still going to live with Ethan?”
I was quiet for a moment.
“No,” I said. “We’re not.”
She didn’t cry. She just nodded, like she had already known.
Later, after she fell asleep, I stood in the hallway outside the guest room. I could hear Ethan and the woman arguing in low voices.
I didn’t knock.
May you like
I didn’t need to hear what they were saying.
I already knew enough.
