Chapter 3 - The Confession in the Dark
Daniel checked them into a quiet, upscale hotel two towns over. He drew a warm bath for Lily, sitting on the edge of the tub while she washed the humiliation and sticky lemonade-laced water from her hair. Once she was in dry, clean pajamas, they sat on the large king-sized bed. Daniel ordered room service, but Lily barely touched her grilled cheese.
She sat cross-legged, staring at the duvet.
"Lily," Daniel said softly, sitting across from her. "You know you can tell me anything, right? You know I love you more than anything in this world."
Lily’s lip trembled. She nodded slowly, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Daniel asked, the guilt eating him alive. He traveled for work. He provided for them. He thought Sarah—a woman who had seemed so warm and loving when they dated—was the perfect mother figure after Lily's biological mother passed away. "Why didn't you call me, sweetheart?"
A tear rolled down Lily's freckled cheek. She pulled her knees to her chest.
"Mom said... she said it was a secret," Lily whispered, her voice barely audible. "She said if I told you..."
"If you told me what, baby?"
Lily finally looked up, her hazel eyes completely shattered. "She said you loved her more. She said you were tired of me because I'm not her real daughter. She told me that if I made trouble, if I complained to you, you would choose her. And that you would send me away to a foster home."
Daniel felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. The cruelty of it was beyond comprehension. Sarah hadn't just physically humiliated his child; she had systematically destroyed Lily's security, weaponizing Daniel's absence to make Lily feel completely abandoned.
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"Lily, look at me," Daniel said, moving closer and taking her small hands in his. His tears finally fell, dropping onto her knuckles. "That was a lie. An evil, horrible lie. I will always choose you. Always. There is no universe, no world, where I would ever choose anyone over you. Do you understand me?"
Lily let out a small, broken sob and collapsed into his chest. Daniel held her as she cried out months of pent-up terror. As he stroked her hair, a cold, calculating rage settled over his heart. Sarah wasn't just going to get a divorce. She was going to pay.
