Chapter 3
The Brooklyn apartment felt both liberating and confining as I carried the last box through the narrow doorway. It was nothing like the Sterling penthouse—just a modest two-bedroom with worn hardwood floors and walls that needed fresh paint. But it was ours, paid for with my own savings, not Nathan's money. A clean break.
"Lily, sweetheart, do you want to help me unpack your things?" I called, setting the box on the small kitchen counter.
No answer came from the second bedroom where Lily had retreated as soon as we arrived. I sighed, my body still aching from the miscarriage only days ago. The physical pain was manageable; it was the silence from my daughter that cut deeper.
I opened the box I'd just carried in, pulling out my collection of herbal remedy books—the one passion Nathan had mockingly tolerated. Beneath them lay a small bundle wrapped in tissue paper. My fingers trembled as I unwrapped it, revealing the tiny yellow onesie I'd bought when I first learned I was pregnant.
"Who's that for?"
I startled at Lily's voice. She stood in the doorway, her small frame seeming even tinier against the unfamiliar surroundings, watching me with solemn eyes that looked too old for her young face.
"It was for the baby," I said softly, refolding the onesie with care. "The one that... isn't coming anymore."
Lily nodded once, her expression unreadable. Without another word, she turned and disappeared back into her room, the quiet click of her door echoing in our new, empty home.
* * *
Three days later, I was arranging wildflowers in a mason jar when I heard the front door open. Lily shuffled in, her backpack straps clutched tightly in her small fists, her gaze fixed on the floor.
"How was school today?" I asked, trying to keep my voice light.
"It was fine," she mumbled, still not looking up.
I crouched down to her level, gently tilting her chin up. "Did you make any new friends?"
Her lower lip trembled slightly. "No. Nobody wants to sit with me at lunch."
My heart ached. "It takes time to adjust to a new school. Give it a few more days, okay?"
She nodded, but I could see she didn't believe me. As she turned to go to her room, I noticed her flinch slightly when her backpack brushed against her side.
"Wait," I said. "Did Dad and Victoria come to see you this week?"
At the mention of Victoria's name, Lily's shoulders tensed visibly. "Victoria said I shouldn't bother Dad at work," she whispered. "She said he's too busy for... for baggage."
The word hung in the air between us, ugly and sharp. Before I could respond, Lily hurried to her room, leaving me with questions that turned my stomach cold.
* * *
Bath time had always been our special ritual, a moment of calm in the chaos of life with Nathan. I poured Lily's favorite lavender bubble bath into the tub, watching the suds rise as steam filled our small bathroom.
"Arms up," I said gently as I helped her undress.
As her shirt lifted, I froze. Faded yellowish-purple marks spread across her ribcage—bruises in various stages of healing. Some were small, like fingerprints. Others were larger, the kind that come from being shoved against something hard.
"Lily," I whispered, my voice catching. "What happened, baby?"
Her eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her thin arms around herself. "I'm not supposed to tell," she said, her voice barely audible. "Victoria said it would make Daddy sad."
I helped her into the bath, my movements mechanical as rage and horror battled within me. Kneeling beside the tub, I brushed her hair from her face. "You can tell me anything, Lily. I promise I won't be mad at you."
She looked at me, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Victoria doesn't like when I ask for Daddy. She pulled my hair in the bathroom at home." Her voice dropped even lower. "She pushed me into the wall when I spilled juice on her shoes."
My hands shook as I gently soaped her back, finding more bruises.
"She whispers things," Lily continued, her small body trembling despite the warm water. "She says I'm just baggage. That Daddy doesn't really want me." A sob escaped her. "Is that true, Mommy? Does Daddy not want me anymore?"
I gathered my daughter into my arms, not caring that water soaked through my clothes. Holding her close, I felt something hardening inside me—a resolve stronger than any emotion I'd ever known.
"No, baby," I whispered fiercely into her hair. "That's not true. And Victoria will never, ever hurt you again. I promise."
As I held my trembling daughter, I knew the woman who had walked out of that hospital—the quiet, accommodating Amanda who had endured years of neglect—was gone forever. In her place stood someone new: a mother who would burn the world to ashes before letting anyone harm her child again.
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