“Dad, she said she’ll take me away from you if I tell,” Lily whispered, her voice barely above a breath and her eyes wide with distress. Those words froze the very air around us, as if time held its breath. I felt an overwhelming surge of protectiveness and a storm of emotions churned inside me.
I hugged her tightly, my mind racing. How could this have happened? Claire had been so kind, so patient with both of us since we met. My thoughts were a chaotic mess, trying to reconcile the woman I was marrying with the one Lily seemed so afraid of.
“Sweetheart,” I began, trying to keep my voice steady. “I promise you, no one will take you away from me. You’re my world, and that’s never going to change.”
