Chapter 46: Broken Promises and Paper Dreams
Chapter 46: Broken Promises and Paper Dreams
(Olivia’s POV)
I sat at Lily’s small study desk, my fingers tracing the worn edges of her notebook. The room felt frozen in time, preserved exactly as she’d left it. Her scent–a delicate mix of baby powder and moonflowers–still lingered faintly in the air, a ghost of her presence that both comforted and tortured me.
With trembling hands, I opened the notebook, revealing Lily’s Amusement Park Family Drawing. Three stick figures stood hand in hand–Lily in the middle, Ethan and me on either side. Above us, she’d drawn the colorful rides of Moonlight Fair with careful attention to detail, right down to the cotton candy stand she’d
been so excited to visit.
My heart constricted painfully in my chest. I knew the truth behind this innocent drawing. Ethan had broken his promise to Lily, leaving our daughter waiting for him in vain on her birthday.
Each crayon stroke represented not reality but Lily’s imagination–scenes of happiness with her father that had never materialized. The bright colors and smiling faces were dreams on paper, dreams that died with her.
Tears blurred my vision as I pictured Lily standing at the entrance of Moonlight Fair, her small face lighting up each time someone approached, only to fall when it wasn’t her father. Hours passing, her hope fading with the daylight.
I remembered how she’d insisted on waiting “just a little longer” despite the freezing cold, despite her weakening condition. Her unwavering faith in her father had been heartbreaking.
“He promised, Mommy,” she’d said, her voice small but certain. “Daddy never breaks his promises.”
But he had. And worse than breaking his promise to Lily, he’d been at Disney that same day–with Victoria and Emma. I’d seen the pictures on Victoria’s social media. Ethan carrying Emma on his shoulders, buying her the Crystal–Embroidered Ice Princess Gown that Lily had begged for but been denied
My tears fell onto the drawing, smudging the bright crayon colors. I wiped them away quickly, desperate not to damage this precious remnant of my daughter’s hope.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” I whispered to the empty room. “I’m so sorry he didn’t come.”
The sound of footsteps in the hallway pulled me from my grief. I recognized Ethan’s heavy tread immediately but didn’t turn around. I couldn’t bear to look at him while holding physical evidence of his betrayal.
I heard him pause in the doorway, felt his presence behind me. The scent of the herbal tea he carried wafted through the room–moonberry and mint, designed to help clear my head from Victoria’s wine attack.
His breath caught audibly as he noticed what I was looking at. I felt rather than saw him move closer, until he stood just behind my chair, looking over my shoulder at Lily’s notebook.
I turned the page, revealing Lily’s childish handwriting. The words were carefully formed, each letter a testament to her concentration.
“Mommy said it’s true. Daddy will celebrate my birthday with me alone.”
The next entry, dated the night before her birthday: “My wish has come true. I am super happy.”
III O <
~ Chapter 46. Broken Promi
And finally, the last entry she’d ever make: “Tomorrow, I will be the happiest child in the world.”
She’d drawn several smiley faces around this declaration, emphasizing her joy and anticipation.
I felt Ethan stiffen behind me. His breathing changed, becoming shallow and uneven. I refused to look at him, keeping my eyes fixed on Lily’s hopeful words.
“She called to confirm,” he said quietly, his voice rough with emotion. The night before her birthday.”
I remained silent, letting his guilt build with each passing second,
“I remember being annoyed when she emphasized the word ‘alone,” he continued. “But her voice was so
sweet, so excited. I couldn’t say no.”
His words hung in the air between us, heavy with the weight of what had happened next.
“But you did say no,” I finally responded, my voice barely above a whisper. “Not with words, but with actions. You never showed up.”
I turned another page in the notebook, revealing more drawings. Stick figure Ethan holding Lily’s hand as they walked through the entrance of Moonlight Fair. Ethan carrying Lily on his shoulders to see over the crowds. Ethan giving Lily a piggyback ride when her legs got tired.
In each scene, Lily had drawn herself with an enormous smile, radiating the pure happiness and anticipation she’d felt about spending her birthday with her father.
I heard a choked sound from behind me. When Ethan spoke again, his voice was thick with emotion.
“I’m sorry.”
Those two simple words snapped something inside me. I whirled around to face him, my emerald eyes burning with five years of accumulated rage and grief.
“Sorry?” I I spat the word back at him like poison. “Ethan Stone, your apology is worthless!”
His amber eyes widened at my vehemence. For once, the mighty Alpha King looked genuinely shaken.
“Do you remember how I begged you?” I continued, rising from the chair to stand before him. “I knelt on the floor of your office and begged you to keep your promise to Lily.”
I saw the memory flash across his face–me on my knees, tears streaming down my cheeks, pleading for just one day of his time for our dying daughter,
“You said you couldn’t because Emma needed treatment for silver poisoning.” I reminded him bitterly. “But that was a lie, wasn’t it? Because you took Emma to Disney instead.”
Guilt shadowed his features. He set the bowl of tea down on Lily’s desk with unsteady hands.
“I was wrong,” he admitted, his voice carrying an unprecedented humility, “I will make it up to Lily.”
A harsh laugh escaped my throat. “Make it up? How? Do you know how long Lily waited for you at the Moonlight Fair?”
I stepped closer to him, my grief transforming into righteous fury.
“She waited from morning till night, Ethan. More than ten hours in the freezing cold. It was below freezing.
day! Even adults couldn’t bear it, let alone a five–year–old child with a failing kidney.”
that
Tears flowed freely down my cheeks now, but I made no move to wipe them a
away.
Π
Chapter 46 Broken Prom
“And where were you?” I demanded, my voice breaking. “You were at Disney, buying Emma the same princess dress that Lily had begged for. You were carrying Emma on your shoulders while our daughter stood alone in
the cold, watching other fathers with their children, making excuses for why you weren’t there yet.”
Ethan’s face contorted with pain as my words painted the vivid picture of Lily’s lonely vigil. I could see him envisioning it–Lily’s small figure at the entrance, her hopeful eyes scanning each approaching adult, her condition gradually deteriorating in the cold.
“She refused to leave,” I continued, my voice dropping to a whisper. “She kept saying you promised, so you would come. She believed in you until the very end.”
Ethan’s composure finally cracked. A single tear escaped his amber eye, tracking down his cheek before he could wipe it away.
“Tell Lily to come back,‘ he choked out, his voice raw with emotion. “I promise her, from now on, whenever she wants to go to the Moonlight Fair, I will take her.”
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