Chapter 7 - Lily’s Tablet
Someone broke into the old house after it was frozen by court order.
Nothing was taken.
Lily’s missing red backpack was left on the kitchen floor.
Inside was her tablet.
The last video was twenty-three seconds.
Lily in our kitchen.
Two days before her fever.
David in the background.
Julianne beside him.
I had never known Julianne had been inside our home.
Lily whispered into the camera.
“Dad’s friend is here again.”
David said, “Keep it down.”
Julianne said, “Maya won’t be back until six.”
Lily frowned.
“She always comes back.”
The video ended.
Tiny.
Nothing criminal.
Devastating anyway.
Julianne admitted she had been there more than once.
She said Lily disliked her.
“She asked if I was trying to be her mom.”
“What did you say?”
“I said no.”
I believed her.
Then she remembered seeing David use my laptop while Lily watched.
Lily asked why he knew my password.
David snapped at her.
The tablet had been found in David’s private storage unit by Nathan.
Nathan returned it without telling me because he wanted to inspect it first.
I stared at him.
“Everyone in this family keeps deciding what I can handle.”
Lily's tablet wallpaper was a photograph of our dog wearing a paper crown.
For ten minutes I could not open the video folder because that stupid crown destroyed me.
Nathan stood near the window and gave me space.
He did not say David had loved Lily.
He did not say I should remember the good times.
He just waited.
Silence can be kind when nobody is using it to escape.
Nathan opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
“Fair.”
May you like
That was better than another apology.
