“Yes. Because it’s my job to keep you safe. And I can’t keep you safe if the person supposed to protect you is the one locking the door.”

Lily nodded slowly, processing this. “So… we aren’t going back?”

“Not to live with her. Never again.”

She let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for days. She leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. “Okay. I like it better here anyway. The doors have locks I can reach.”

My heart broke and healed simultaneously.

Patricia, however, was not done. The thirty-day deadline was approaching, and silence had fallen over the communication lines. I assumed she was packing.

I was wrong.