He had been trying to remove it when I walked in.
Daniel put his hand on my shoulder.
“I was afraid if you rushed toward her, she’d panic and swallow it.”
I looked at him through my tears.
“You still should have told me.”
“I know.”
“No more secrets.”
“Never again.”
Over the next few weeks, Lily got proper help, and the habit slowly stopped.
The white box disappeared.
Daniel stopped sneaking out of bed.
And Lily stopped being afraid of nighttime.
But I never forgot that night.
Because for days, I had imagined the worst possible thing happening behind that bedroom door.
And the truth was frightening too—
just not for the reason I had feared.
