Chapter 3
I woke the next morning afraid to leave my bedroom.
Not because Claire was still there.
She wasn't.
Her suitcase was gone.
Her car wasn't in the driveway.
And the house was quieter than it had been in months.
But I couldn't stop thinking about the boarding school.
I kept imagining strangers coming to take me away.
I imagined Dad signing papers.
I imagined Lily standing at the window while a car drove me somewhere far from home.
I knew Dad had promised not to send me away.
But fear doesn't disappear just because someone says the right words.
At seven, Dad knocked gently.
"Nia?"
I pulled my blanket higher.
"Come in."
He opened the door.
He wasn't wearing a business suit.
He had on gray sweatpants and an old T-shirt.
His shoulder-length locs were tied behind his head.
He looked tired.
"Morning, sweetheart."
I nodded.
He sat on the edge of my bed.
"How did you sleep?"
I shrugged.
He noticed the dark circles beneath my eyes.
"Not well?"
I shook my head.
Dad took a breath.
"I called your school and told them you'd be home today."
I looked up.
"Am I in trouble?"
His expression changed.
"No."
"Because of last night?"
"No, baby."
He reached for my hand.
"I thought we could spend the day together."
I stared at him.
"Really?"
"Really."
For the first time since the championship, I felt a little warmth inside my chest.
Then Dad asked something unexpected.
"Can we talk about Claire?"
My stomach tightened.
I nodded.
He looked serious.
"I need to understand whether she's been treating you badly when I'm not home."
I stared at my blanket.
"Nia?"
I didn't answer.
He waited.
Finally, I whispered, "What counts as badly?"
Dad's face changed.
"What do you mean?"
I swallowed.
"Does forgetting my birthday dinner count?"
His eyes widened.
"She forgot your birthday dinner?"
I nodded.
"Last year."
He frowned.
"We had dinner together."
I looked down.
"You came home early because your meeting got canceled."
Dad stared at me.
"Claire told me you wanted a quiet birthday."
I shook my head.
"She told me we couldn't celebrate because she had work."
His jaw tightened.
I continued.
"Then Lily got a birthday party two weeks later."
Dad looked away.
For several seconds, he didn't speak.
Then he asked softly, "What else?"
My throat tightened.
I didn't want to tell him.
I was afraid he'd be angry.
Not at me.
But I was afraid of what would happen afterward.
"Nia, you can tell me."
I looked into his eyes.
"She told me I shouldn't ask for so much attention."
Dad swallowed.
"When?"
"Lots of times."
I stared at my hands.
"She said Dad was tired from working and I needed to stop bothering him."
He closed his eyes.
I continued.
"Sometimes when I asked her to come to games, she said I was being selfish."
Dad's face tightened.
"And when I asked if you could come, she told me you were busy."
His eyes opened.
"Nia, I would have come if I'd known."
I nodded.
"I know."
But my voice sounded uncertain.
He noticed.
"I need you to believe that."
Tears filled my eyes.
"Then why didn't you ask?"
Dad froze.
I hadn't planned to say it.
But once the words came out, I couldn't stop.
"Why didn't you ask how my games went?"
His expression crumpled.
I continued.
"Why didn't you notice when Claire stopped taking me?"
Dad covered his mouth.
I began crying.
"I didn't want to make you sad."
He reached toward me.
I moved closer.
He hugged me tightly.
"You're right."
I froze.
He continued.
"I should have asked more questions."
My tears fell onto his shirt.
"I trusted Claire to handle things, and I wasn't paying enough attention."
He swallowed.
"That's my responsibility."
I cried harder.
He didn't tell me I was exaggerating.
He didn't make excuses.
He simply held me.
Then he said something I needed desperately to hear.
"I can't change what I missed. But I can change what happens next."
I nodded against his shoulder.
After breakfast, Dad called the boarding school.
I sat beside him because I wanted to hear the truth.
He placed the call on speaker.
A woman answered.
"Westbridge Preparatory Admissions."
Dad introduced himself.
"My name is Marcus Bennett. I'm calling about an application submitted for my daughter, Nia."
The woman sounded cheerful.
"Of course, Mr. Bennett. One moment."
I gripped Dad's hand.
When she returned, her tone changed slightly.
"Yes, I see the preliminary application."
Dad took a breath.
"Who submitted it?"
"Mrs. Claire Bennett."
My stomach tightened.
"And what information did she provide?"
The woman hesitated.
"We would need to verify your identity before discussing confidential details."
Dad agreed.
After completing the verification process, she explained that Claire had requested information about immediate residential enrollment.
The application claimed I had behavioral difficulties.
It also claimed my family was considering a more structured environment.
I began crying silently.
Dad squeezed my hand.
"I did not authorize this application," he said.
The woman became serious.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I want the application closed and any inaccurate information corrected."
She explained the school's procedures.
Dad followed every step.
Before ending the call, he asked whether Claire had paid any fees.
The woman confirmed that an initial application payment had been made.
Dad thanked her.
Then hung up.
I stared at him.
"She really wanted me gone."
His face crumpled.
"I'm so sorry, Nia."
I shook my head.
"Why?"
He didn't pretend to know.
"I can't explain why she chose to do something so cruel."
I looked away.
Then whispered, "Maybe she doesn't like me because I'm Mom's daughter."
Dad became very still.
"Why would you think that?"
I swallowed.
"Because she gets upset whenever I talk about Mom."
He stared at me.
I continued.
"Last Christmas, I wanted to put Mom's angel ornament on the tree."
Dad nodded slowly.
I remembered that ornament.
My mother had bought it when I was four.
It had one broken wing.
She loved it anyway.
"Claire said it didn't match the decorations."
Dad looked devastated.
"Where is it?"
I hesitated.
"In my closet."
"Why?"
I stared at my hands.
"Claire told me not to put it out again."
Dad stood.
For a second, I was afraid.
Then he took a breath and sat back down.
"Would you show it to me?"
I nodded.
I opened my closet.
Behind a stack of sweaters was a small cardboard box.
Inside lay the angel.
Its chipped white wings were wrapped in tissue paper.
Dad lifted it carefully.
His eyes filled with tears.
"Your mother loved this."
I nodded.
He smiled sadly.
"She bought it at a church Christmas market."
I looked at him.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"She said imperfect things could still be beautiful."
I began crying again.
Dad pulled me close.
"We're putting this somewhere special."
That afternoon, he placed the angel on the living room mantel.
Right beside a photograph of my mother.
When Lily came downstairs, she stopped.
She looked at the angel.
Then smiled.
"That's pretty."
I stared at her.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Can we keep it there?"
Dad smiled.
"Absolutely."
Lily walked toward me.
"Mom told me you didn't like talking about your old mom."
My chest tightened.
I looked at Dad.
His expression changed.
Then Lily continued.
"But I think you should talk about her if you want."
I hugged her.
"Thank you."
That evening, Dad received a call from Claire.
I heard his voice from the kitchen.
"No, Claire."
A pause.
"The application is canceled."
Another pause.
"You had no right to make that decision."
I listened as he became quieter.
Then he said something that frightened me.
"What do you mean, you already made arrangements?"
I stood.
Dad turned toward the doorway.
He saw me.
His expression softened.
Then he ended the call.
I whispered, "What happened?"
He took a deep breath.
"Claire says Vanessa has been helping her."
My stomach tightened.
"With what?"
Dad looked exhausted.
"She claims they were preparing a long-term plan for where you would live."
I stared at him.
Then Lily spoke from behind me.
"I know something about Aunt Vanessa."
We turned.
She was standing near the refrigerator.
Her face was pale.
"Mom told Aunt Vanessa that once Nia left, everything would finally be normal."
I felt my stomach drop.
May you like
Then Lily whispered something even worse.
"And Aunt Vanessa said Dad would be easier to control without Nia here."
