“This proves the truth,” he said.
“But we need to protect your daughter while we use it.”
Tessa leaned forward, her voice steady. “We do not turn your home into a stage again,” she said.
“We act carefully, we keep your daughter out of the spotlight, and we make sure the facts speak louder than anyone’s version.”
I looked through the glass doors toward the living room, where Lila sat curled on the couch with a stuffed dinosaur and eyes that didn’t quite trust the day, and I felt the same clarity I’d felt on the terrace, sharpened now into something permanent.
“Do what you have to do,” I told them, and my voice stayed low, but it didn’t waver. “I will not bargain with someone who scares my child, and I will not trade her peace for anyone’s reputation.”
Wes nodded, already thinking several moves ahead, while Tessa gathered the folder and began issuing calm instructions, and Duncan pocketed the drive as if it were something sacred.
When I walked back into the living room and sat beside Lila, she leaned into me slowly, like she was testing whether I was still real.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the clean scent of soap and warm laundry, and I promised her in a whisper that was meant for her alone.
“I’m here,” I said.
“And I’m not letting anyone make you small again.”
