Chương 4
She wore a cream-colored sweater and looked completely composed.
That bothered him.
“You’re going to see him,” she said.
Daniel stopped near the counter.
It was not a question.
“I’m going to see Lily.”
Vanessa poured coffee into a cup.
“And what happens after?”
He looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
“You walk in, apologize, and then what?”
Her tone was calm, but there was something defensive underneath it.
Daniel noticed things he had ignored before.
The way she avoided saying Lily’s name.
The way she referred to Emily’s belongings as clutter.
The way every problem became something that needed to be controlled instead of understood.
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
Vanessa gave a small laugh.
“That’s not like you.”
Maybe that was the point.
For years, Daniel had believed knowing the answer quickly was the same as being responsible.
Now he wondered if it had only been a way to avoid admitting uncertainty.
“I need to talk to my daughter.”
Vanessa placed the coffee down.
“She’s been manipulated.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
“By who?”
“Your father.”
The answer came too quickly.
“By Sylvester.”
Daniel looked away.
His father was difficult.
Demanding.
Sometimes cruel.
But Sylvester had never been careless with Lily.
That distinction mattered.
“He loves her.”
“So do we.”
Daniel looked back at her.
The sentence should have comforted him.
Instead, it sounded like a defense.
Like someone trying to prove something in court.
“You know what happened,” he said.
Vanessa’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re making me the villain because you feel guilty.”
The words landed because they were not entirely wrong.
Daniel did feel guilty.
But guilt did not erase what she had done.
“I’m saying a three-year-old should not have to beg someone to protect a picture of her mother.”
Vanessa looked toward the window.
For a moment, she seemed tired rather than angry.
Then the expression disappeared.
“She needs to stop living in the past.”
Daniel did not respond.
He grabbed his coat.
When he reached the door, Vanessa spoke again.
“Daniel.”
He paused.
“If you let Sylvester take over, you’ll regret it.”
He looked back.
The old version of himself would have asked what she meant.
The old version would have searched for reassurance.
The man standing there now only said, “I already regret something.”
Then he left.
The drive to Sylvester’s house took forty minutes.
Daniel had made that trip hundreds of times when he was younger.
Back then, he had hated the distance because it separated him from his friends.
Now he hated it because every mile gave him more time to remember.
He remembered Emily sitting in the passenger seat beside him.
He remembered her singing badly to songs on the radio.
He remembered complaining that she never checked the map.
She always laughed and said, “We’re not lost if we’re still together.”
He had forgotten how often she made difficult things feel simple.
The memory bothered him because he could not understand when he stopped being that person.
The gate opened before he reached it.
Sylvester’s security team had clearly expected him.
Daniel parked near the house and sat inside the car longer than necessary.
He had faced angry investors.
He had negotiated deals worth more than some small towns.
Yet knocking on this door felt harder.
Finally, he stepped out.
Margaret opened the door.
She looked at him for a long moment.
Not with hatred.
That would have been easier.
She looked disappointed.
“Is she awake?”
Margaret nodded.
“She’s having breakfast.”
Daniel entered.
The smell of coffee and toast reminded him of childhood mornings.
He removed his coat.
A small action.
A normal action.
Somehow it made him feel like he was a child again.
Then he heard Lily laughing.
Only a little.
But enough.
He followed the sound toward the kitchen.
Lily sat at the table wearing pajamas covered with tiny stars.
Sylvester sat beside her reading a newspaper.
The moment she saw Daniel, her smile disappeared.
The change was immediate.
Daniel felt it before she spoke.
“Hi, Daddy.”
The words were polite.
Not warm.
That hurt more than anger.
He moved closer.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
She looked at the table.
Not at him.
“I brought something.”
He held out a small stuffed rabbit.
It had belonged to Emily.
He had found it in a storage box the previous night.
He thought bringing it would help.
Instead, Lily looked at it and froze.
“Where was that?”
Daniel hesitated.
“In a closet.”
“Why?”
He did not have an answer.
Because the truth was embarrassing.
Because he had packed away pieces of her mother’s life because he thought grief had an expiration date.
“I should have shown it to you sooner.”
Lily touched the rabbit’s ear.
“Mommy liked this one.”
Daniel swallowed.
“Yes.”
“She said it looked funny.”
A small smile appeared.
“She said it had a weird face.”
Daniel almost smiled too.
Almost.
Then Lily looked up.
“Why did Vanessa break my picture?”
The question was simple.
There was no anger in it.
That made it harder.
Children asked questions adults spent years avoiding.
Daniel pulled out a chair.
“Can I sit?”
She nodded.
He sat across from her.
“I don’t have a good reason.”
Sylvester watched silently.
That answer seemed to surprise him.
Daniel continued.
“I should have stopped it.”
Lily looked down at the rabbit.
“You didn’t.”
“No.”
The honesty hurt.
“But I should have.”
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The house remained quiet except for the sound of Margaret washing dishes nearby.
Daniel wanted to fix everything in one conversation.
He wanted to say the perfect thing.
But he knew now that perfect words were usually just another way to avoid real work.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Lily did not immediately forgive him.
She only nodded.
That small movement was more painful than rejection.
Because forgiveness was not something he could demand.
After breakfast, Sylvester asked Daniel to walk outside.
The backyard was covered in frost.
The trees were bare.
May you like
The world looked unfinished.
“You came here expecting her to run into your arms,” Sylvester said.
