Chapter 2

I sat helplessly on the ground, my knee scraped and bleeding.

Mom, Dad doesn't believe me.

The bottle of painkillers you took for so long was right by Dad's shoe.

He saw it, but he just stood there staring.

Dad picked up the little bottle, turning it over in his hands.

His eyebrows pulled into a tight knot. "Painkillers? Why do you have something like this?"

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

"When Mom took these, it didn't hurt as much."

Dad's hand seemed to trembled slightly.

Chloe took the bottle from his hand. She poured out a tablet, sniffed it, and popped it straight into her mouth.

I stared in shock.

Chloe chewed slowly, her face twisting into a strange expression.

"Ethan, this isn't medicine. It's a milk candy."

Dad froze.

He grabbed the bottle back from Chloe, poured out a few tablets, and held them under his nose.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Dad looked down at me, his eyes growing cold again.

I whispered, "Mom ran out of her real medicine a long time ago."

"What?"

I didn't dare look him in the eye.

"Mom's medicine ran out last summer."

"Mrs. Gable told me those pills were very, very expensive, and we didn't have enough money to buy more... so the bottle stayed empty."

Tears welled up again, but I tried my hardest to choke them back.

"I didn't want Mom to be in pain. Mrs. Gable gave me these milk candies and said sweet things make the pain go away."

"So I put the candies inside and told Mom I bought new medicine for her."

"Whenever Mom took one, she would smile and say, 'Lily's medicine really works. Mom doesn't hurt anymore."

"After Mom left, I kept the bottle with me. It felt like Mom was still here."

Dad stared at the bottle in his hand, his expression shifting wildly.

Then he tossed the bottle straight into the trash can.

"Your mother is a fraud, and so are you."

Panicked, I rushed forward to retrieve it.

"I'm not lying! That's Mom's medicine bottle!"

Dad stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"A medicine bottle filled with candy?"

"You certainly put a lot of effort into this story. Go back and tell your mother this won't work on me."

I tried to push past him, but he wouldn't budge.

All I could do was look up and cry out, "You threw her medicine away! What will Mom take when she hurts at night? She won't be able to sleep!"

Whenever Mom used to grow pale from the pain, she would comfort me as my tears fell.

"Don't be scared, Lily. It doesn't hurt."

"Your dad could never stand to see me in pain. If I scraped my skin even a little bit, he would worry for hours."

"He would say I had to get better tomorrow, or else he would..."

"He would what?"

Mom's eyes would shine bright. "Or else he would fetch the best medicine in the whole world just to make the pain go away."

But now, Dad had thrown Mom's "medicine" into the trash.

I shoved past Dad with all my strength, grabbed the bottle out of the can, and hugged it tight against my chest.

"You're all mean! I don't want to give you a Father's Day card anymore!"

I glared at Dad, then at Chloe, who was standing by, watching the show.

"You're all horrible! I hate you!"

I turned around and ran out the door as fast as my legs could carry me.

Chloe's voice floated from behind, "Ethan, maybe we should have someone walk her out? It's not safe for a little girl to walk alone..."

"Let her go. She's not my kid. Why should I care?"

---

I didn't know where to go. I just kept walking down the road.

"Mom, Dad has a new house and a new woman. He doesn't want Lily anymore."

No matter how much I wiped my eyes, the tears wouldn't stop.

Mom had said Dad would be so happy if he knew about me.

She said he would lift me high up on his shoulders so I could see the best view in the world.

She said he would buy me pretty dresses and make me feel like a real princess.

Mom had listed so many things he would do.

But now, he didn't want me.

He even called me a liar.

"Mom, I miss you so much."

I crouched by the curb, clutching the bottle and crying until I couldn't catch my breath.

The sky grew darker and darker.

I stood up and kept walking.

I didn't know where I was going, or where I could go.

My legs felt so heavy, and my head was spinning.

I stumbled, reaching out to catch a tree, but my hands grabbed empty air.

"Lily!"

Was that Dad's voice?

But why would Dad come looking for me?

Didn't he say I wasn't his child?

I wanted to open my eyes to look, but my eyelids felt heavier than lead.