Lily lowered her gaze.
He leaned forward.
"But that isn't your responsibility."
She looked at him.
Daniel continued.
"You don't need to wear certain clothes to make Grandma happy. You don't need to hide the things you like. And you don't need to protect my feelings by keeping secrets that make you uncomfortable."
Lily's lip trembled.
"She said you'd be sad if I told."
Daniel closed his eyes briefly.
Then he looked at her.
"Thank you for telling me anyway."
My granddaughter began crying again.
This time, she reached toward her father.
He moved beside her and held her carefully.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart."
She pressed her face against his chest.
Daniel looked toward me over her shoulder.
His expression was full of regret.
But there was something else there now.
Determination.
I knew the next few days would be difficult.
Vanessa wasn't going to accept the situation quietly.
Daniel would have to decide what his marriage meant after discovering that his daughter had been frightened into hiding the truth.
And Lily would need time to understand that the rules she had lived under were changing.
But for the first time in months, I wasn't watching my granddaughter look toward the kitchen before answering a question.
She was sitting in her father's arms.
And he was finally listening.
Vanessa left the house that evening.
Daniel didn't tell her to leave in front of Lily, and he didn't allow the disagreement to become a shouting match that his daughter would have to witness. After they spoke privately, Vanessa agreed to stay with her sister for a few days while Daniel considered what needed to happen next.
I didn't know the details of their conversation at first.
I only knew that when Daniel called me that night, his voice sounded as though he had aged ten years.
"Margaret, can Lily stay with you tomorrow afternoon?"
"Of course."
"I need to speak with someone about the situation."
I understood.
"Take the time you need."
He was quiet.
Then he said, "She's sleeping in my room tonight."
My eyes filled.
"How is she?"
"Confused."
I looked toward Claire's photograph.
"That makes sense."
Daniel took a breath.
"She keeps asking whether she's allowed to wear the pink dress."
I closed my eyes.
"Oh, Daniel."
"I told her she could wear it whenever she wanted."
I heard his voice break.