Chapter 2

I floated above, watching Lily. She was curled on a police station bench, covered in grime, clutching that blood-stained rag doll for dear life.

Her small face was a mask of grime, her hair a nest of tangles.

The officer beside her made the call, his face a mask of disdain.

"Dr. Vance? Your ex-wife's vanished again. Left the kid. Didn't want her."

"Once a junkie, always a junkie. When the monkey climbs on their back, they forget everything, even their own child."

I was numb to their vicious, vulgar words. But Lily shouldn't hear this. I tried to cover her ears, my hands passing through her in a ghostly failure. Powerless.

On the other end of the line, Julian's voice was clear. "I'll be right there."

Thirty minutes later, Julian finally appeared at the police station entrance.

He appeared at the station thirty minutes later, the smell of formaldehyde still on his coat, his expression stormy.

He completely bypassed Lily, asking the officer nearby.

"Where's Aubrey Hayes?"

The officer shrugged. "Her phone's off. No one's home.."

Julian let out a cold sneer. "Probably overdosed in a ditch somewhere. Saves us the trouble. One less junkie on the streets."

Lily heard his voice and timidly looked up.

"Are you my daddy? Mama said my daddy is a hero."

Julian recoiled in disgust, stepping back to avoid Lily's outstretched, dirty little hand.

"Don't call me that. I don't have a child with a junkie, let alone a bastard."

Lily flinched, tears flooding her eyes. In a desperate, hurried motion, she thrust her rag doll toward him.

"Mama said to give this to the hero uncle. And we can get food."

Julian slapped the doll away. "Don't you dare try to disgust me with that filthy thing!"

Lily stumbled to the ground, crying as she picked up the doll, carefully brushing off the dust.

Julian knelt down, staring at Lily. "Where's your mother?"

"Mama was put in a suitcase by a bad man." Lily sobbed, hugging her doll tightly.

"The suitcase had lots and lots of red liquid coming out of it. Mama told me to run, and to give the doll to Uncle..."

The surrounding police officers burst into laughter.

"A red suitcase? This kid must have inherited her mother's psychosis."

"Aubrey probably got high and hallucinated, and the kid's just making things up."

"Or maybe her drug dealers came for her. Aubrey skipped town with a huge debt, cooking up this red suitcase story to fool the kid."

Julian's face turned grim, listening to their disgusting remarks. He grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her towards the exit.

"Come home with me. We'll wait and see when your wretched mother decides to grace us with her presence."

By the car, as the headlights flashed, Julian noticed Lily's bare arms were covered in dense bruises and tiny needle marks.

His face changed instantly, erupting in fury.

"Aubrey, that animal! Did she actually inject drugs into such a small child?"

I cried out desperately beside him: No! That's from when Lily was sick, and they drew blood for her medicine!

But Julian couldn't hear me.

He only thought I was so depraved I'd even harm my own daughter.

Lily didn't understand the man's anger. She rubbed her grumbling stomach and whispered, "Uncle, I'm hungry. I want white powder."

Julian's eyes flashed with fresh disgust.

"Drugs? At your age? Find your junkie mother for your fix."

Lily flinched, her small body trembling.

"No! Not that white powder!" Lily pleaded, her voice shaking. "Mama said it means formula!"

"Lies." He yanked the car door open and shoved her inside. "You've infected your own child, Aubrey. Rot in hell."

The car door slammed shut.

Terrified, she clutched her rag doll. "Mama," she whispered, "will you come back?"

Julian heard Lily's whisper and snarled.

"You'd better not."

I pressed against the car window, watching my daughter curled up in the back seat and Julian's cold indifference. Tears silently streamed down my face.