Chapter 4 - THE DRAWER
Kate arrived as Daniel reached Lily’s room.
She took one look at the child’s cheek and put down her keys.
“What happened?”
“I’m still finding out.”
Kate sat beside Lily.
“Hey, bug.”
Lily crawled into her lap.
Daniel crouched by the bed.
A shallow drawer slid out beneath the frame.
Inside were a stuffed rabbit, three crayons, a flashlight, and a stack of folded paper.
The first page was a child’s drawing.
A yellow-haired woman.
A little girl.
A door shaded black.
Daniel unfolded the next page.
MY QUIET RULES.
The letters were large and crooked.
Don’t cry at breakfast.
Don’t ask Daddy to come home.
Don’t touch Mommy’s things.
Don’t tell stories.
Underneath, in adult handwriting:
Good girls make things easier for everyone.
Daniel sat back on his heels.
Kate read over his shoulder.
“Oh, Daniel.”
Lily watched them.
“I was practicing.”
“Practicing what, sweetheart?”
“Being easier.”
He had no answer.
There were more pages.
A calendar with stars pasted on certain days.
He remembered praising it.
“Look at you,” he’d said on a video call. “All those good-behavior stars.”
Now he saw the words at the bottom.
Five quiet nights = phone call with Daddy.
Daniel put the calendar down carefully.
“Lily. When I called and Vanessa said you were asleep—”
“I wasn’t always asleep.”
Kate closed her eyes.
“I was supposed to earn the calls,” Lily said. “But sometimes I forgot and cried.”
Daniel stood too fast.
The room tilted.
He gripped the dresser until it settled.
“Daddy?”
He turned back immediately.
“You didn’t have to earn me.”
Lily studied him as if he had spoken in a language she almost understood.
“Not even if I’m bad?”
“Not ever.”
A door slammed downstairs.
Kate rose.
“Go. I’ve got her.”
Daniel reached the landing.
Vanessa was near the front entrance with her purse over her shoulder.
Rosa stood beside her.
“You’re not leaving together,” Daniel said.
Vanessa lifted her chin.
“You can’t keep me here.”
“No. But you’re not taking Rosa with you.”
Rosa’s face crumpled.
Vanessa leaned close to her.
“Remember what happens if you talk.”
May you like
Daniel heard every word.
And so did Kate, standing at the top of the stairs with her phone already in her hand.
