Chapter 6
Dad didn’t tell Lily what Amanda had said.
He did tell Mr. Bennett.
By morning, everything had become more confusing.
Daniel had shown papers proving he had paid child support.
Amanda had claimed he abandoned Lily.
Now Amanda claimed Daniel had once been ordered to stay away.
Two stories.
Both could have pieces of truth.
Dad told me something I remembered for years.
“People can tell the truth about one thing and lie about another.”
I thought about Amanda.
Then I thought about Daniel.
“Does that mean nobody is good?”
Dad sat beside me.
“No. It means people are complicated.”
“Like Amanda?”
He sighed.
“Yes.”
“Is she bad?”
Dad looked toward the kitchen.
“I don’t want to teach you that people are either good or bad.”
“But she was mean.”
“She was.”
“So what is she?”
He thought.
“Someone who made choices that hurt you.”
I understood that better.
Dad spent most of the day making calls.
Daniel’s old court records had to be requested.
Amanda refused to explain.
Then, shortly after lunch, she came to the house.
Alone.
Dad met her outside.
I watched from the window.
They argued quietly.
Then Amanda handed him a folder.
He opened it.
His face changed.
After she left, he sat at the kitchen table for almost ten minutes without moving.
“What is it?” I asked.
He looked at Lily.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
That meant it was something we definitely needed to worry about.
Later, I heard him talking to Mr. Bennett.
“There was a restraining order.”
I stopped outside the office.
“It expired five years ago.”
Mr. Bennett said something I couldn’t hear.
Dad answered.
“She says he shoved her during an argument while Lily was a baby.”
I felt cold.
“Was he charged?”
Pause.
“No conviction. Police report exists. Daniel apparently admitted grabbing her arms but denied shoving her.”
Another pause.
“I’m not putting Lily in danger.”
I backed away before Dad found me listening.
That evening, Daniel called.
Dad went outside to speak to him.
I followed quietly and stood behind the curtain.
Dad didn’t waste time.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the restraining order?”
Daniel became silent.
Then he said, “Because I knew what it would sound like.”
“That is not an answer.”
“I was ashamed.”
“Did you hurt Amanda?”
Daniel looked away.
“We had a fight.”
“Did you put your hands on her?”
“Yes.”
Dad’s face hardened.
Daniel continued quickly.
“I grabbed her arms. I was trying to stop her from throwing my phone off the balcony.”
“You put your hands on her.”
“Yes.”
“Did you shove her?”
Daniel swallowed.
“I don’t remember it that way.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“I know.”
Dad stared at him.
Daniel’s voice broke.
“I was twenty-four. Angry. Stupid. Drinking too much.”
“That doesn’t excuse anything.”
“I’m not asking you to excuse it.”
“Then why hide it?”
“Because Lily already has one parent controlling the story. I didn’t want you to look at one terrible thing I did and decide that was everything I am.”
Dad’s expression changed slightly.
But he didn’t soften much.
“Have you had any incidents since?”
“No.”
“Drinking?”
“Seven years sober.”
Dad blinked.
Daniel nodded.
“I got help.”
“Can you prove that?”
“Yes.”
“Then prove it.”
Daniel did.
Over the next week, records arrived.
Counseling.
Alcohol treatment.
A court-approved parenting program.
Years of clean background checks from his job.
Dad didn’t suddenly trust him.
But he allowed Daniel to see Lily twice.
Both visits happened at a family center with supervision.
Lily came home after the first visit carrying a small stuffed giraffe.
Not giant.
But purple.
She showed it to me.
“He remembered.”
“Remembered what?”
“That Mom sold the giant one.”
She hugged it.
“I told him I’m too old for stuffed animals.”
I looked at the giraffe.
“You’re sleeping with that tonight.”
“No, I’m not.”
She slept with it that night.
Amanda was furious when she learned about the visits.
She called Dad.
“You’re handing my daughter to a violent man.”
“They are supervised visits.”
“You believe him over me.”
“I believe records.”
“You hate me.”
Dad looked tired.
“I don’t.”
That surprised me.
Amanda went quiet too.
Dad continued.
“I’m angry. I don’t trust you. I don’t know if our marriage can survive this.”
I sat on the stairs listening.
“But I don’t hate you.”
Amanda cried.
“Then let me come home.”
“No.”
“Ryan.”
“No.”
“I’ll go to counseling.”
“You should.”
“We’ll go together.”
“Maybe someday.”
“Why not now?”
“Because Ethan is still scared when he hears your car.”
Silence.
My stomach twisted.
Dad knew?
Amanda’s voice became very small.
“Is he?”
“Yes.”
“I never touched him.”
“You keep saying that like it means you didn’t hurt him.”
“I didn’t understand.”
Dad rubbed his forehead.
“You told him I wanted a new family.”
“I was angry.”
“You destroyed a picture of his mother.”
“I was jealous.”
“You restricted his food.”
Amanda started crying harder.
“I don’t know why I did that.”
Dad closed his eyes.
“Then figure it out before you ask anyone to trust you again.”
He ended the call.
I went back upstairs before he saw me.
Two days later, Amanda checked into an outpatient counseling program.
At least that was what she told Dad.
Dad did not let her move back.
She rented a small apartment near Vanessa.
Lily began meeting Amanda at a supervised family center too.
That was recommended while everyone figured out what happened next.
At first, Lily didn’t want to go.
Dad never forced her.
He told her she could choose.
On the third week, she agreed.
When she came home, she was quiet.
“How was it?” I asked.
She shrugged.
“Mom cried.”
“Did you?”
“A little.”
“Did she say sorry?”
Lily nodded.
“Did that fix it?”
She thought about it.
“No.”
Then she looked at me.
“But I liked hearing it.”
I understood.
I wanted Amanda to apologize to me too.
I didn’t want her back.
I didn’t trust her.
But I wanted her to admit it.
That sounded strange.
Dad said it wasn’t.
“Sometimes we want the person who hurt us to prove they know they did it.”
One month passed.
Then Amanda asked to see me.
Dad said I didn’t have to.
I said yes.
I don’t know why.
Maybe I needed to hear something.
Maybe I wanted to see if she still scared me.
We met in a counselor’s office.
Dad stayed in the room.
Amanda sat across from me.
She looked different.
No makeup.
Hair tied back.
Hands shaking.
For a while she said nothing.
Then she looked at me.
“Ethan, I owe you an apology.”
I waited.
“I treated you differently from Lily.”
My eyes stayed on her.
“I told myself it was because you were difficult.”
Dad’s jaw tightened.
Amanda raised a hand.
“I’m not saying that now. I’m telling you the lie I told myself.”
I kept listening.
“I was jealous of your mother.”
My throat tightened.
“That wasn’t your fault.”
I looked down.
“I was jealous that your dad had loved someone before me. I was jealous that he still loved her memory. And every time I looked at you, I saw her.”
Dad looked away.
Amanda cried.
“I made you pay for feelings you did not create.”
I whispered, “Why didn’t you just leave me alone?”
She covered her mouth.
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.”
She stared at me.
I surprised myself.
I was angry.
“You knew I was hungry.”
Amanda’s face crumpled.
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“You knew the picture was all I had.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Dad loved me.”
“Yes.”
“And you wanted me to think he didn’t.”
She sobbed.
“Yes.”
Dad’s eyes filled with tears.
I started crying too.
Not because I felt sorry for her.
Because hearing the truth hurt.
Amanda whispered, “I am so sorry.”
I wiped my face.
“I don’t forgive you.”
Dad looked at me quickly.
Amanda closed her eyes.
Then she nodded.
“You don’t have to.”
That was the first thing she had said to me that made me believe she might actually be changing.
Then the counselor asked if I wanted to leave.
I nodded.
Outside, Dad hugged me.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“That’s okay.”
I leaned against him.
Behind us, the counselor’s door opened.
Amanda came out.
She looked at Dad.
Then at me.
She didn’t approach.
She just whispered, “Goodbye, Ethan.”
I didn’t answer.
We went home.
May you like
That night, something happened nobody expected.
Lily disappeared.
