Chapter 17
With Victoria permanently removed and the locks changed by a professional locksmith, I immediately returned to the hospital. Lily had woken up and was sitting up in bed, eating a small cup of warm chicken broth under the gentle supervision of a kind, older nurse. When she saw me walk into the room, her eyes darted nervously to the door behind me, expecting her stepmother to follow.
"She's gone, Lily," I said softly, pulling a chair right up to the edge of her bed. "Victoria is completely gone. She will never step foot in our house again, and she will never be allowed anywhere near you."
Lily stopped eating, the plastic spoon trembling in her fragile hand. She stared at me, desperately searching my face for any sign of a trick. After years of psychological torture and manipulation, trusting the truth was incredibly difficult for her.
"Did she yell at you?" Lily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"She yelled," I nodded honestly, taking her free hand in mine. "But it doesn't matter. Her words have absolutely no power over us anymore. I have a restraining order, and the police are building a criminal case against her for what she did to you."
Tears finally welled in Lily's eyes, spilling over her pale cheeks. It wasn't the hysterical crying of a terrified child, but the quiet, profound weeping of a soul that had finally been allowed to exhale.
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"I'm so incredibly sorry, Lily," I choked out, dropping my forehead against her hand, unable to hold back my own tears any longer. "I was blind. I was a coward for not seeing the pain right in front of me. I let her hurt you, and I will spend the rest of my entire life trying to make it up to you. Please, forgive me."
Lily gently rested her other hand on my hair. "You came back for me, Dad. That's all that matters."
