Chapter 5 - The Glass Toy
Eleanor stood frozen on the hardwood floor, her hand still glued to her reddening cheek.
Her dark red silk shirt looked suddenly oversized on her thin, stooped frame.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the cold glare in Ryan's eyes silenced her completely.
From the top of the stairs, five-year-old Lily peeked through the white wooden railings.
She held a tiny plastic toy doctor's stethoscope in her small, sticky hands.
Lily’s small bare feet made no sound as she took two steps down the carpeted stairs.
"Grandma?" Lily’s small voice rang out, quiet and impossibly clear in the tense room.
Eleanor turned her head slowly, her eyes meeting her granddaughter's innocent gaze.
"Why are you trying to warm up Mommy's tummy?" Lily asked, her child-logic completely simple.
"The baby isn't cold. She has two blankets in her crib already."
Eleanor flinched as if the child's soft words had burned her skin deeper than the iron ever could.
May you like
She turned around without saying another word, her dark loafers dragging heavily across the floor.
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