Her voice broke. Mommy. Lydia climbed onto the chair to get closer to the bed. Don’t cry. Papa says you’re going to be okay. Cassidy reached out with shaking fingers to touch her daughter’s face. I am, baby. Mommy’s going to be just fine. They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the steady beep of the monitors.
Finally, Cassidy looked at Harry with eyes that had aged a decade overnight. I want him gone, she said quietly. Not scared, not sorry. Gone. Harry studied his daughter’s face. The young woman who’d married Trent three years ago had believed in second chances and the power of love to change people. That woman was gone, replaced by someone harder, someone who understood that some lines couldn’t be uncrossed.
