Chapter 3 - CHILD LOGIC AND HIDDEN TRUTHS
"Daddy..." the little girl whimpered softly.
Her small voice sounded fragile, like thin glass against the heavy silence of the house.
Mark lowered his head, pressing his cheek against her warm forehead.
"I'm here, Lily. I've got you."
Lily raised her tiny left arm from under the plush bunny.
Rolls of soft skin on her arm were marred by a harsh, crescent-shaped red bruise on her bicep.
Mark’s breath hitched in his throat. His jaw locked.
Lily’s eyes, swollen and wet, stayed fixed on the dark wooden cabinet.
"She said you'd abandon me too," Lily whispered, her voice hitching on a sob.
"She said I'm bad like Mommy."
The woman in the green blouse froze, her eyes widening in absolute terror.
"Lily, shut your mouth!" she screamed, taking a desperate step forward.
"She hid Mom's papers," Lily continued, her child logic unbothered by the screaming adult.
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"She put the papers in the dark box so Mommy couldn't come back."
"She said if I tell, you won't love me anymore."
