Chapter 4 - The Father Who Looked Away Grant returned home shortly after midnight.
The mansion was almost empty.
The party decorations remained.
The flowers were still fresh.
The champagne glasses were still lined up.
Everything looked normal.
Except Grant knew it wasn't.
Lily stood in the sitting room.
When she saw him, she did not run.
Grant crouched.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
“Does your daddy look terrible?”
She studied his swollen jaw.
“Yes.”
Grant almost smiled.
“Fair.”
He reached for her.
Then stopped.
“Can I hug you?”
Lily nodded.
She stepped into his arms.
For several seconds, Grant simply held her.
Then she whispered:
“Daddy was mean.”
His eyes closed.
“Yes.”
“Movie man hurt Daddy.”
“Yes.”
“Was Daddy bad?”
Grant felt something break inside him.
“I did something bad.”
Lily considered this.
“Are you still my daddy?”
“Yes.”
“Even bad?”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Especially then.”
She hugged him tighter.
Then she pulled away.
“Can I have pancakes?”
Grant laughed.
It hurt.
But he laughed anyway.
“Sure.”
For the first time that night, the house felt human.
But the moment would not last.
Because when Grant put Lily to bed, he noticed something.
Her bedroom was unnaturally perfect.
No crayons.
No toys on the floor.
No fingerprints on the furniture.
Everything arranged exactly where Vivian wanted it.
Grant suddenly remembered something.
May you like
Lily had once loved covering the walls with drawings.
Where had they gone?
Related Stories
