He Left Our Daughter To Drown But I Saved The Footage Chapter 36
“Mom?”
“What is it, sweetie?”
“When the storm is over, can we go get ice cream?”
My eyes stung.
“Yes.”
“I want two scoops.”
“They’ll melt.”
She considered this very seriously.
“Then I’ll get one scoop first. And after I finish it, I’ll buy another one.”
I smiled.
“Deal.”
This time, she wasn’t standing guard over a broken promise.
She knew that if she wanted ice cream, she could make a new plan. She could choose someone else to go with.
We checked into a hotel well inland before the storm made landfall.
That night, the thunder was loud.
Maisie knocked on the connecting door to my room, hugging her pillow.
“Can I sleep with you?”
“Of course.”
She climbed under the covers and listened to the rain for a while.
“Mom, will our house get flooded again?”
“It might be damaged.”
I didn’t make any promises I couldn’t keep.
“But people are more important than houses. We got out, and we’re together.”
She snuggled into my arms and slowly closed her eyes.
The next day, my lawyer forwarded an inquiry from Evan.
He wanted to know if Maisie was safe.
In accordance with the court order, he hadn’t contacted me directly or asked for our location.
I told Maisie about it.
“Do you want to reply?”
She thought for a moment.
“Just tell the lawyer that I’m safe.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t tell him where I am.”
“Okay.”
She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow.
This wasn’t forgiveness.
It was simply, finally, her being able to decide how much of herself she was willing to give without sacrificing her own boundaries.
Three days later, the storm shifted course.
When we returned to the city, our apartment was untouched, and the studio had only lost part of its sign.
Maisie stood under the warped letters of “No Need to Wait” and stared up at them for a long time.
“Can we fix it?”
“Yes.”
“Then I want to paint it again.”
She dragged over a small stool and picked up a brush.
I stood beside her, my hand steadying her back.
This time, the water hadn’t trapped her on high ground.
She was standing up there because she knew someone was below, ready to catch her.