Chapter 10 - The Healing
Two years have passed since the night I peeked through that bathroom door.
We moved to a different state, a place with endless sunshine and near the ocean. I bought a cozy little house with a big backyard where Lily can run wild. The fear that used to live in her eyes is completely gone, replaced by the bright, chaotic energy a little girl is supposed to have.
The road to recovery wasn't easy. There was a lot of therapy, for both of us. But kids are remarkably resilient, especially when they know they are fiercely, unconditionally loved.
Tonight, I hear giggling coming from the bathroom.
I walk down the hallway—not creeping in fear, but smiling. The door is wide open. Inside, Lily is having her bath. The water is full of bright pink bubble bath, and she is happily making "beards" out of the foam for her plastic dinosaurs.
"Look, Mom! Mr. T-Rex is Santa Claus!" she laughs, splashing water everywhere.
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"He’s very handsome," I laugh, leaning against the doorframe, my heart overwhelmingly full.
There are no timers. There are no secrets. There is only a mother, a daughter, and a safe, beautiful life ahead of us. We survived the monster in the house, and we emerged into the light.
