He needed to see everything.
He needed proof.
“Lily!” Caroline shouted from above. “You were supposed to finish an hour ago! Hurry up!”
“I’m sorry, Caroline,” Lily said quietly, her small hands gripping the bag. “They’re really heavy…”
“So what? I worked harder than that when I was your age. Stop pretending you’re weak.”
“But… I’m only eight…”
“Exactly. Old enough to help.”
Lily lowered her head and continued pulling.
Daniel noticed the blisters on her palms.
Real ones.
The hands of someone forced to work — not the hands of a child meant to be drawing pictures or playing outside.
One of the garbage bags snagged on a rock.
When Lily pulled harder, it tore open.
Wet garbage spilled across the lawn.
“Oh no… please…” she murmured, dropping to her knees and scooping the mess up with her bare hands. “If I don’t clean it… he’ll be angry…”
That was the final straw.
Daniel stepped out from behind the hedges.
“Lily.”
She froze.
Slowly, she turned toward him.
Her eyes grew wide.
“Dad…?” she whispered. “Is that really you?”
Daniel sank to his knees in front of her, ignoring his expensive suit.
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m here.”
Lily glanced nervously toward the balcony.
“Dad… please let me change first. I don’t want you to see me like this. And… please don’t tell Caroline.”
Those words hurt more than anything else.
“Why not?” Daniel asked gently.
Lily looked down at the ground.
“She said if I complained, it meant I was spoiled. And if I told you anything… you’d send me away to boarding school.”
Daniel felt tears sting his eyes.
“She also said… you left because you needed a break from me.”
His chest tightened painfully.
He gently lifted her chin.
“Listen to me, Lily. I left because of work. Never because of you. You are the most important person in my life. I would never send you away.”
Lily nodded, but fear still lingered in her eyes.
From the balcony, Caroline shouted again.
“Lily! Get up here now!”
