Lily lay there, eyes squeezed shut, burying her face in the duvet. She had been awake since the moment her parents started screaming. Her mood was already shot for the day.
It was Saturday. They had promised her a trip to the zoo, but Lily knew that was off the table now. She knew exactly how this would play out. Her mom would pack a bag and storm out, and her dad would spend the rest of the day at the kitchen table with a bottle, complaining about his “selfish wife.”
— Damn you! Live however you want with your daughter! — Victoria screamed, slamming the door so hard the walls rattled before she ran out of the apartment.
Lily let out a heavy sigh and walked toward the kitchen. She harbored a tiny shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t started yet and they could still go. But she was wrong. Pete had already uncorked a bottle of wine and was silently drowning his bitterness.
— Daddy, are we still going to the zoo? — she asked, her voice small and hopeful.
— No! — Pete snapped. — Go to your room and leave me alone!
Lily didn’t argue. She tried to make herself a sandwich, but when she realized there wasn’t even a loaf of bread in the house, she silently poured herself a cup of tea and retreated to her room.
She cried for hours before deciding to head down to the courtyard. Sitting on a bench near the entrance, she watched the other kids running around the playground, their parents sitting nearby, laughing. The sight triggered a fresh wave of tears.
— Oh, honey, what’s wrong? Did the boys say something mean? — asked Irene, a neighbor who was coming back from the grocery store, her arms full of heavy bags.
— No, it’s my parents, — the girl admitted truthfully. — They fought all morning, then Mom left, and Dad started drinking. We were supposed to go to the zoo today.
— Oh, you poor thing. Don’t cry. You want a piece of candy? — Irene tried to comfort her.
— Mrs. Irene, why do you have so many groceries? You live all by yourself, don’t you? — Lily asked, curious.
— Not entirely alone, — the woman smiled. — I have my cat, Luna. But you look like you haven’t eaten a thing, — she realized. — Come on, let me fix you a real lunch.
— Thank you, — Lily said, her face brightening.
As Irene watched Lily devour a bowl of homemade chicken soup, tears pricked her own eyes. She couldn’t understand why life was so lopsided. Irene had everything: a career she loved, a spacious apartment, financial security. The only thing missing was a family of her own; her home had never known the sound of a child’s laughter.
She had lost her own baby in the final month of pregnancy. After a grueling surgery, her colleagues at the hospital had delivered the verdict: she would never be able to conceive again. Shortly after, her husband had walked out on her. It had taken a long time to climb out of that depression, but Irene eventually threw herself into her work. Over the years, she had risen to become the Chief of Pediatrics at the city’s main hospital.
— Mrs. Irene, why aren’t there any kids here? — Lily asked innocently, hitting a raw nerve.
— That’s just the way it worked out, I suppose. But I see hundreds of children at work. I help them get better, — Irene explained.
— Wow! I want to help kids when I grow up too, — the girl said dreamily.
— If you study hard, you’ll be a wonderful doctor, — Irene smiled, stroking Lily’s hair.
Lily stayed with her neighbor until late evening. When she heard their front door creak open next door, she bolted for the hallway.
— Mom must be home! — Lily cried happily.
— That’s great! — Irene smiled. — Go on, run to her.
Lily was right; Victoria was back. But when Lily walked into the room, she saw her mother frantically throwing clothes into a suitcase. Her father was already passed out, his heavy snoring echoing through the apartment.
— Mommy, are we going somewhere? — the girl asked.
— Sweetie, work is sending me on an urgent business trip. You be a good girl and listen to your father, — Victoria said rapidly, grabbing her suitcase and heading for the door.
— Will you be back soon? — Lily started to sob.
— Yes, soon, — Victoria kissed her forehead and hurried out into the night.
In her innocence, Lily didn’t realize that her mother couldn’t have been sent on a business trip for one simple reason: she hadn’t held a job in eight years.
From that day on, Pete fell into a deep, dark spiral. He couldn’t forgive his wife for leaving, and he tried to numb the pain with whatever he could find in a bottle. He lost his job and his dignity in short order, eventually ignoring his daughter entirely. His only concern was where the next drink was coming from. One by one, he started selling things from the apartment for cash. For Lily, life turned into a nightmare of hunger and neglect, surviving on whatever scraps she could find.
Late August arrived. Lily was supposed to start first grade, but she didn’t even have a backpack or a school outfit. She spent her days staring out the window, hoping her mom would finally return from her “trip,” believing that if she did, Pete would stop drinking and they’d be a family again.
One evening, after a walk, Lily realized she had lost her house key. Terrified of her father’s temper, she spent an hour searching the playground, but it was getting dark and the key was nowhere to be found. When she finally went upstairs and knocked, there was no answer. Pete was in a drunken stupor. Not knowing what else to do, she curled up on the welcome mat and waited for him to wake up. The poor thing eventually fell asleep right there in the hallway.
Early the next morning, Irene stepped out of her apartment and gasped at the sight of the child huddled on the floor.
— Lily! Why on earth are you sleeping out here? — she cried.
— Mrs. Irene, I lost my key, and Dad is asleep and won’t open the door, — the girl whispered, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
— This is the last straw! — Irene fumed. — Where is your mother?
— She’s been gone a long time. She’s on a business trip, and Dad just drinks all the time, — Lily explained.
— A business trip? — Irene frowned, knowing Victoria hadn’t worked a day in her life. — Come inside. Right now. I am not letting this stand.
Lily followed her obediently. Irene fed her, gave her a warm bath, and tucked her into a clean bed.
— Lily, I have to go into the hospital for a little while. If you wake up before I’m back, stay right here. Play with Luna, watch some TV. I’ve left sandwiches on the table. When I get back, I’m going to settle things with your parents.
— Thank you, Mrs. Irene, — the girl smiled, finally feeling safe.
Irene handled her business at the hospital as quickly as possible and headed home early. She ran into Pete outside the building and was horrified. He looked like a ghost of his former self—unkempt, shaking, and clearly interested in nothing but his next fix.
— Pete, where is your daughter? — Irene asked sharply.
— Home, asleep probably. Where else would she be? — he muttered, trying to push past her.
— Have you no shame? Look at yourself! Lily slept in the hallway last night because she lost her key and you were too wasted to hear her knock. I’m calling Social Services today. A child cannot live like this! — she threatened.
— Go ahead, — he said with total indifference. — I don’t have time for this.
Irene realized then that threats wouldn’t work. He truly didn’t care.
— I will never understand why the universe gives children to people like you, — she said bitterly.
But Pete was already halfway to the liquor store.
When Irene walked into her apartment, she found a heartwarming scene: Lily was curled up in an armchair with Luna purring in her lap.
— Hey there, you’re up? — Irene smiled.
— Yes! I ate the sandwiches, gave Luna some milk, and I even washed the dishes, — Lily reported proudly.
— What a helper! Tell you what, let me change and we’ll bake a pie together.
— Really? — Lily beamed. — Mrs. Irene… can I stay with you? Just until my mom gets back? — she asked softly.
— I… I don’t know, — Irene stammered. — Wouldn’t your father mind?
But then she remembered Pete’s face and realized he probably wouldn’t even notice she was gone.
Irene spent the night in deep thought. The next morning, she went to see Pete. It took him forever to answer the door, and he looked deathly ill.
— Irene, please, I need fifty bucks. I’ll pay you back, I swear, — he begged the second he saw her.
— Can I come in? We need to talk. Seriously.
— You got the fifty? — he asked hopefully.
— I want to take Lily. Permanently. Victoria is gone, and you clearly aren’t interested in being a father. She’s a brilliant, sweet girl, and I won’t let her end up in the foster system. I can give her everything. It’s better for everyone this way, — Irene said, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Pete was silent for a long time.
— What do you mean, “take her”? — he finally rasped. — She’s not a thing. She has a father.
— Pete, have some mercy on her. I won’t let her stay here, but she’s better off with me than with strangers in a group home. What if I give you some money? — she played her final card.
— Money? — Pete’s eyes lit up instantly.
— How much? I’m not made of gold, — Irene said, seeing the opening.
— Five thousand? — he asked tentatively.
— I’ll give it to you. But you have to sign the papers to make me her legal guardian.
— For five grand, I’ll sign whatever you want! — Pete grinned. — Give me a down payment.
— No. You sober up, we go to the lawyer and sign the documents, and then you get the money.
Pete scowled, but he agreed.
Nine years passed. Irene had sold her old place and moved with Lily to a different part of the city. She didn’t want the girl running into her father; those memories only brought pain.
Lily was graduating at the top of her class and preparing for medical school.
For the first few years, she had held onto a sliver of hope that her mother would return for her. She loved Irene, but a part of her still ached for her “real” mom. But as she grew up, Lily realized the truth: she had been abandoned. She grew to love Irene with every fiber of her being, forever grateful for the woman who had stepped in and chosen to be her mother.
One afternoon, Lily came home from school to find Irene in tears.
— Mom? What happened? — Lily asked, panicked. She had never seen Irene cry like this.
— In there… — Irene gestured toward the living room and sobbed harder.
Suddenly, a well-dressed, striking woman stepped out. Lily didn’t recognize her at first, but when the realization hit, she froze.
— Lily! My god, look at you! You’ve grown into such a beauty. You look just like me! — Victoria smiled, moving to hug her. — I’ve come for you. I’m so sorry, but my life was complicated. I couldn’t come sooner. Your father passed away three months ago, so we can finally go back home.
— Victoria, that apartment belongs to Lily now. You have no claim to it. That hasn’t been your home for a long time, — Irene interrupted, her voice trembling with indignation.
— Irene, I’m grateful you looked after her, really. Но she isn’t your daughter. You don’t have children. She has a biological mother who loves her, — Victoria sneered.
— You’re wrong, Victoria, — Lily said, her voice cold and steady. — Irene does have a daughter. It’s me. And I only have one mother, and her name is Irene. I think you should leave now and don’t come back.
Every word was a struggle, but it was the truth. Lily had spent years dreaming of this reunion, but looking into this woman’s cold, opportunistic eyes, she felt nothing but distance. She loved her real mom, the one who had stayed.
Victoria shot her a venomous look and stormed out of the apartment.
— Thank you, honey. Thank you, — Irene sobbed, pulling Lily into a tight embrace.
— No, thank you, Mom. For everything. I’m never leaving you, — Lily promised.
That day, Lily knew for certain where she belonged. She was home. She was loved. And she would never be abandoned again.
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