Chapter 7 - The Art Room Reunion
The second-floor hallway was dead silent, save for the muffled strains of classical music drifting from the music conservatory down the hall.
I stopped outside the frosted-glass door of the third room on the right. My heart hammered against my ribs, a sharp reminder of the night before, but the fear was entirely gone, replaced by a fierce, protective longing.
I pushed the door open.
Lily was sitting alone at a low wooden table in the corner, a box of colored markers scattered around a half-finished drawing of a bird with bright blue wings. Her small shoulders were tense, and her dark curls were pulled back into a hasty ponytail. She had been isolated by the school staff on Eleanor’s orders, cut off from her classmates and kept waiting in a room with no explanation.
When the door clicked open, Lily looked up, her wide, frightened eyes searching for a teacher or a nanny.
Then she saw me.
“Mom?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
In a fraction of a second, the crayons scattered across the table as Lily launched herself out of her chair, running across the room and throwing her small arms around my waist. She buried her face in my coat, sobbing with a mixture of relief and pent-up terror.
“Mommy! They wouldn't let me leave! Aunt Eleanor called and said I had to stay in this room until someone came for me... where were you? Why did you sound hurt on the phone?”
I knelt down on the cold floor, ignoring the sharp twinge in my ribs, and wrapped my arms tightly around my little girl, burying my face in her hair.
“I’m right here, sweet girl,” I choked out, tears finally breaking free and spilling down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry I wasn't there. But nobody is ever going to keep us apart again. Look who else is here.”
Lily pulled back, wiping her cheeks with the back of her sleeve, and looked up.
Standing in the doorway with a rare, gentle smile on his weathered face was my father.
“Hi, sweet pea,” Dad said softly, stepping into the room and kneeling down beside us.
“Grandpa Arthur!” Lily gasped, scrambling over to hug him around the neck. “What are you doing here? Dad said you lived too far away to visit.”
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“Well, Grandpa decided it was time to take a little trip,” Dad murmured, resting his hand gently on her head. “And we’re going on an adventure today, Lily. Just you, me, and your mom. Pack your backpack. We’re going home.”
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