“I’m not allowed to tell you.”
At that moment, Daniel entered the room. He looked at me and then at Lily.
“Go to your room, sweetheart.”
Once she had left, I asked him what they were hiding from me.
“It’s only a game we play,” he replied. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
But his voice sounded more tense than usual.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept remembering all the little things I had noticed during the past few weeks: Lily’s secretive
answers, Daniel’s whispers, and the strange looks they exchanged whenever I unexpectedly entered a room.
The next day, I tried to speak calmly with my daughter.
“Lily, if anyone ever tells you to keep something secret from Mommy, you can always tell me.”
