My daughter from my first marriage was never accepted by my mother-in-law. She claimed she wasn’t really family and branded her a burden. We were forced to leave my daughter in her care one day. We couldn’t have foreseen what would come next.
I thought happiness was brittle for a long time. Beautiful, yet always on the verge of breaking, like fine porcelain.
I walked carefully through my days, fearing that one mistake might bring everything to an abrupt end.
However, I was able to find tranquility once more. A profound, enduring tranquility—the sort that creeps into your bones without your awareness.
I never imagined getting married again after everything I went through with my first husband—Caleb and his polished charm, those phony promises delivered with a straight face.
Nobody, least of all myself, was someone I trusted. Then Marcus and I met. Be calm. steady. A man who accepted responsibility without hesitation.
He assisted with homework on weeknights and prepared pancakes on Saturdays. He didn’t resemble Caleb at all.
Lily, too… The highlight of the disastrous marriage was Lily. She was now eight years old. Bright. intuitive.
Constantly singing small, improvised tunes that brought warmth to a space. Marcus loved her. She was always handled by him as if she were his own.
He read to her every night and attended her school plays. He tried not to cry as he blinked a much the day she called him “Dad.”
However, not everybody embraced Lily. Not Helena, Marcus’s mother, in particular.
She expressed her views clearly even before our wedding. She had questioned him, “Why tie yourself to someone else’s child?” “Begin anew. A fresh start.
Marcus cut her off right away. We decided to avoid each other. Drama was not what we wanted. Peace was what we desired. Peace, however, is never permanent.
Marcus and I had our laptops open at the kitchen table on Thursday morning. He had just hung up the phone.
He remarked, “They need both of us in Denver.” “Tomorrow morning.”
I gazed at my brew. “How about Lily?”
He rubbed his face and moaned. “Clara still has the flu.” She won’t return until the following week.
I was already nervous as I stood. I walked around Lily’s sparkling sneakers as I paced the floor. “My mother is on the road. Jenna, perhaps?
Marcus remained silent. I could tell exactly where his thoughts had gone from that quiet.
He let out a deep exhale. “We might ask my mother.”
“No.” I turned around. “Definitely not.”
He remarked, “She’s mellowed.” “She inquired about Lily during the holiday season.”
“She referred to her as a’stray puppy,’ Marcus said. She is not cared for by that woman.
“She wouldn’t do her harm.”
“You’re unaware of that. I’m not aware of that. And I refuse to take that chance.
However, I made an effort. I called everyone, including former babysitters, acquaintances, and coworkers. There was nobody around. Jenna was the last person I called.
“I hope I can,” she murmured. However, my due date is less than two weeks away. What if she is here and anything goes wrong?
After hanging up, I faced Marcus. “We have two options: either we leave her with Helena or we cancel the trip.”
He remained silent.
I muttered, “I already regret this.”
At sunrise, we set out. The sky was little illuminated by the sun. Singing gently, Lily jumped in the back seat. She was unaware of the pain in my chest.
Lily leaned between the seats when we arrived at Helena’s house.
“Will we be visiting the park?”
“No, my love,” Marcus answered softly. “You will be spending a few days with Grandma Helena.”
Lily stopped smiling. “However, she dislikes me.”
My heart broke. I was at a loss for words. Only suffering.
“She does,” Marcus feigned a smile. “She simply displays it in a different way.”
He gave me a look. “Just four days remain.”
Helena smiled thinly as she met us at the entrance. “You’re running late.”
I gave Lily’s bag to her. The side pocket contains her beloved stuffed bunny. Friday is her tennis practice day.
Helena’s eyebrows went up. “I never imagined that when I retired, I would be watching someone else’s child.”
“She’s your granddaughter,” Marcus stated nonchalantly.
Helena remained silent. “You had better leave now.”
To Lily, I knelt. Only four days. We will return sooner rather than later.
Quietly, she nodded while clutching her bunny.
The journey became a jumble of meetings and hotel rooms. My thoughts was always focused on Lily, even while my body was there.
I gave Helena a call each morning. Each and every evening.
“May I talk to Lily?” I inquired.
“She is taking a bath.”
“She’s worn out.”
“She’s asleep already.”
Excuses. Each and every time.
I was trembling with terror by the third day. I pleaded via text for a picture, a video, or something. Nothing.
“You’re thinking too much,” Marcus remarked. “She would call if something went wrong.”
“Will she?” I lost my temper. Or would she demonstrate her perverted argument?
Day four then arrived. Marcus said, following our last meeting, “See? Everything is good. Perhaps she will accept Lily at last.
But my fear came back with a vengeance when we arrived at Helena’s place. Slowly, she opened the door.
“Where is Lily?” I inquired.
Helena said, “She’s fine.”
Marcus took over. “May we enter?”
No response. She took a step back.
“Lily?” With a quivering voice, I called.
We looked about the house. Nothing. Not a bunny. Not a bag. No, Lily.
“Where is she?” I insisted.
With her arms folded, Helena stood. “I was kind to you both.”
Marcus turned pale. “Where is my daughter?”
She is not your child. You have been dragging her along, which is a mistake. I started you off clean.
I sprang for her. “WHERE IS SHE?”
“She is secure. She attends a tennis school. An appropriate boarding program. Doesn’t she talk about tennis all the time?
Marcus blew up. “You WHAT?”
Helena gently remarked, “She’s not your real child.” “You can now start a true family.”
Marcus stated in a tremulous, low voice, “She is my child.” “You weren’t entitled.”
She said icily, “I had every right.”
“You abducted her,” I muttered. “Our daughter was stolen by you.”
She said to Marcus, “You must soothe your wife.”
He gave a scowl. “Avoid talking to her. Did you take Lily somewhere?
“You’ll locate her.”
We wasted no time. We destroyed every tennis boarding school in the state that evening. Calls. directories. Lists.
We had a hit by the morning.
For five hours in a row, we drove. We saw Lily clutching her rabbit by herself on a bench.
She fled when she spotted us.
She screamed, “Mommy!” and jumped into my arms. “I believed you no longer desired me.”
“No, sweetheart. That’s untrue,” I cried. “We searched everywhere.”
Lily muttered, “She said you were starting a real family.” “One that was independent of me.”
Marcus was kneeling next to us. “You are a member of our family. Our daughter is you. We won’t ever let you leave.
She simply clung more tightly.
She curled up in the backseat on the way back. I gazed at the street. I answered, “We must put an end to this.”
Marcus gave a nod.
We went back to Helena’s house that evening. She scowled when she opened the door and saw Lily dozing off in the car.
“Now what?”
I said, “You will never see her again.” “Or any one of our kids.”
She laughed. “I have no grandchildren.”
With my hand on my stomach, I grinned. “I am expecting a child.”
Her eyes glowed. “The first for my son!”
Marcus took a step forward. “No. My second. In the car is the first. Furthermore, you aren’t seeing either of them.
“Her grandmother is me!”
“No,” Marcus replied. “That right is no longer yours.”
She faced me. “You made him work against me.”
“No,” I replied, averting my gaze. “You did that on your own.”
I then turned to go. To my daughter. To my spouse. To my family, whom I selected and who chose me in return.
