“That explains why looking at Lily hurt.”
I stepped closer.
“It does not explain abandoning her.”
“I was terrified she would die too.”
“So was I.”
“I checked whether she was breathing at night.”
“So did I.”
“I couldn’t stop thinking—”
“And you left me alone with all of that!”
My voice finally broke.
“You were afraid of losing another daughter, so you made sure Lily lost her father instead.”
Carl closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was crying.
“Yes.”
That one word was worse than an excuse.
Because it was true.
Part 6 — “I Never Stopped Loving You”
I had one more question.
Maybe the hardest one.
“What about me?”
Carl looked at me.
“What?”
“You’ve explained Emily.”
My voice shook.
“You’ve explained what you felt when you looked at Lily.”
I pressed a hand against my chest.
“What about me, Carl?”
His face changed.
“I loved you.”
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was unbearable.
“I spent thirteen years believing you looked at our broken family and decided there was nothing left worth staying for.”
“That wasn’t true.”
“You left.”
“I never stopped loving you.”
“That makes it worse.”
