Chapter 3

Sarah carried Lily back to her small, empty office, her heart a leaden weight in her chest. She gently cleaned the bruise on Lily's cheek, her fingers trembling. The physical hurt was nothing compared to the wound she couldn't see.

Lily' s small body shook with silent sobs. "Mommy," she whispered, "he... he said..."

"I know, sweetie. I know," Sarah murmured, rocking her gently. "It's okay. Mommy's here."

But it wasn't okay. The humiliation burned in her memory. Liam' s cold denial, the pitying looks from her colleagues, the utter desolation on her daughter's face.

After Lily had cried herself out, they left the office. At the elevator bank, they ran into them again. Liam and Olivia, standing close, waiting.

The thought of being trapped in a small metal box with them was unbearable.

"Let's take the stairs," Sarah said, her voice strained.

Lily looked up at her, confused. "But we're on the twentieth floor."

"It's good exercise," Sarah lied, forcing a smile.

She held Lily' s hand and started the long descent. Her heels clicked on the concrete steps, a rhythmic, lonely sound. By the tenth floor, her feet were aching. By the fifth, they were screaming in protest. When they finally reached the lobby, she could feel the sting of broken blisters. Her feet were bleeding.

Liam' s indifference was the final twist of the knife. He hadn't even noticed she was gone.

Lily, ever observant, looked at her mother' s pained expression. "We still have a few days left, right, Mommy?"

The reminder of her broken promise sent a wave of guilt through Sarah. This was all her fault. She had let her daughter hope, knowing it would only lead to more pain.

Lily saw the tears welling in Sarah' s eyes and reached up with her small hand to wipe them away. "Don't cry, Mommy."

That simple act of love from her daughter broke something inside Sarah.

As they stepped out of the building, a voice stopped them. "Sarah."

It was Liam. He was standing by his car, his face a mask of irritation. "What are you doing? Trying to get attention by hurting yourself?"

Sarah stared at him, speechless.

Then, he did something completely unexpected. He glanced at Lily. "Her birthday is coming up, isn't it?"

Sarah' s heart skipped a beat.

"I'll celebrate it with her," he said.

Lily' s head shot up, her eyes wide with disbelief and joy. "Really? An outdoor party? With a bouncy castle?"

Liam actually nodded. "Sure. Whatever you want."

He got in his car and drove away, leaving Sarah standing on the sidewalk, a tiny, treacherous flicker of hope igniting in the wreckage of her heart.