Chapter 6 - Lily’s visits stop
Lily initially visited Emily.
Short sessions.
Ten minutes.
Then fifteen.
She sat beside her mother and read children’s books.
Sometimes Emily moved her fingers.
Once she turned her head toward Lily’s voice.
Ryan cried afterward.
I was there.
That memory matters.
He was not always pretending.
Then Lily had a difficult visit.
Emily began coughing during respiratory therapy.
Lily panicked.
She screamed:
“Mommy is dying!”
The therapist reassured her.
Ryan decided:
“No more visits until Emily improves.”
Temporary.
That was what he said.
Three weeks.
Then six.
Then months.
I argued.
“Lily needs age-appropriate contact.”
“She needs stability.”
“She thinks her mother disappeared.”
“I tell her Mommy is very sick.”
At that point, he did.
May you like
The more serious lie came later.
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