“I promise.”
It squeezed me in my heart.
In the meantime, my daughter started to change.
She became quieter, lost her confidence while reading at school, and in her backpack I began to find work covered in red tweaks.
I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t want to explain anything.
One day I finally confronted my father.
“What are you doing with her every night behind those closed doors?”
He’s pale.
“You’ll find out soon.”
Emily immediately grabbed his hand.
“Please, Grandpa. Don’t tell her yet.”
That night, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer.
When Emily came back into his room, I waited a few minutes and walked to the door.
I heard my daughter talking inside.
She struggled to read aloud, making mistakes and starting sentences over and over again.
Then I heard my father:
“Don’t be afraid. Even if you make a mistake, don’t give up. Your mother won’t protect you forever. You have to learn to cope on your own.”
I couldn’t wait any longer.
