The car engine roared to life as we pulled away from the house.
Lily sat quietly in the back seat, hugging Elphie so tightly that the stuffed elephant’s ears were bent.
I kept checking the rearview mirror.
No headlights following us.
Not yet.
But my heart was still pounding.
“Dad… are we really not going back?” Lily asked softly.
I swallowed.
“No, sweetheart.”
“But what about Mom?”
That question hurt more than anything else that night.
“Your mom… made a mistake,” I said carefully. “She didn’t listen when you tried to tell her the truth.”
Lily looked down at her hands.
“I told her twice,” she whispered. “She said Grandpa was just playing.”
My grip tightened on the steering wheel.
Playing.
That word made my stomach turn.
“We’re going somewhere safe now,” I said. “Aunt Vanessa’s house.”
“Aunt Vanessa always believes me,” Lily said.
“Yes,” I replied. “She does.”
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