Chapter 19
Diane died in prison when Lily was fourteen.
The notification came through Nora.
I sat with it for an hour before telling Lily.
She listened quietly.
Mara was there too.
Claire sat beside her.
Lily asked, “Do I have to feel sad?”
“No.”
“Do I have to feel happy?”
“No.”
Mara said, “I feel free.”
Claire nodded.
“Me too.”
Lily leaned against me.
“I think I feel done.”
That was the best word.
Done.
We did not hold a memorial.
We took flowers to a garden outside the hospital where Lily had recovered.
Claire placed one near the bench where she first held Mara after the trial.
Lily placed one by the fountain.
“For little me,” she said.
I cried.
Aaron held my hand.
Not too tight.
Just enough.
Ryan was released years later with strict no-contact orders.
He obeyed them.
Maybe because he changed.
Maybe because prison taught fear.
I did not need to know.
Lily knew she owed him nothing.
Claire knew too.
Mara knew.
May you like
So did I.
That knowledge was its own kind of locked door.
