Chapter 17
The visits went well.
For six months, Ryan showed up every week, on time, sober, ready to play. He never missed a visit. He never said a bad word about Megan or Ethan. He never pushed for more time. He was happy just to sit on the floor and play with Lila for an hour.
He learned all her favorite things.
He brought her dinosaurs, and paint, and soccer balls.
He read her books. He built Lego castles. He played tea party, wearing a tiny plastic tiara, without complaining.
Lila adored him.
Every Tuesday, she would wake up asking, "Is it Ryan Daddy day?" She would run into the playroom, yelling his name, jumping into his arms. She started calling him "Dad Ryan" to tell him apart from "Daddy Ethan."
Megan watched from the doorway, every week.
She still didn’t trust Ryan. Not fully. But she saw how he was with Lila. She saw the love in his eyes. The regret. The way he cherished every second with her. He was a good dad. At least, he was trying to be.
Ethan was amazing about it.
He never got jealous. He never complained. He would ask Lila about her visits, listen to her stories about what she and Ryan had built, what they had played. He even met Ryan once, in the parking lot of the center, and shook his hand.
"Thank you for being good to her," Ethan said.
"Thank you for being the dad I couldn’t be," Ryan said.
It was awkward, but it was civil.
For the first time in years, everyone was getting along.
Then Margaret got out of pri:son.
She had served eight years of her 12-year sentence, released early for good behavior. She was 73 years old. Gray-haired, frail, but her eyes were still hard. Still angry. Still full of hate.
She got out on a Friday.
By Saturday, she was standing outside Lila’s preschool, waiting.
Ryan was picking Lila up that day. It was his first unsupervised visit—Megan and Ethan had finally agreed to let him take her to the zoo for a few hours, after six months of perfect supervised visits.
He pulled into the parking lot, got out of his car, and froze.
Margaret was standing by the front door, leaning on a cane, wearing a cheap dress, her hair dyed an unnatural black.
She smiled when she saw him.
"Hi, baby," she said, her voice raspy from years of smoking. "I’m out. I came to see my granddaughter."
Ryan’s blood ran cold.
He had not spoken to her since the trial. He had changed his number, moved, cut off all contact. He had thought she would never find him. He had thought she was still in pri:son.
"What are you doing here?" he said, his voice hard. "How did you find me?"
"I followed you from your house," she said, like it was obvious. "I’ve been watching you for three days. I saw you come here to pick up the kid. She’s beautiful, Ryan. Just like you. I want to meet her. I’m her grandma. I have rights."
"No," Ryan said, stepping between her and the school door. "You have no rights. You lost them a long time ago. You are never going to meet Lila. You are never going to be anywhere near her. If you come within a hundred feet of her, or Megan, or Ethan, or me, I will call the police and have you arrested for violating your parole. Now get out of here. And don’t ever come back."
Margaret’s smile faded.
Her face twisted with the same rage Ryan remembered from his childhood.
"You ungrateful little bastard," she hissed. "After everything I did for you? You’re going to keep me from my own flesh and bl00d? I don’t think so. If I can’t see her, no one will. I’ll tell everyone what a terrible father you are. I’ll tell the court you’re still drinking, still using drugs, still abusing me. I’ll get full custody of her. I have friends. I have money. I will ruin you, Ryan. Just like you ruined me."
Ryan grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away from the door, his face white with rage.
"Listen to me," he said, low and dangerous. "You are not going to hurt my daughter. You are not going to hurt anyone ever again. If you so much as look at her, I will kill you. Do you understand me? I will kill you. And I will go to pri:son happily, because at least you will be gone from our lives forever. Now get in your car. And get the hell out of my town. If I ever see you again, I will not be so nice."
He let go of her arm, shoving her toward her beat-up old car.
Margaret stared at him, shocked.
The little boy she had controlled, manipulated, abused his whole life, was gone.
In his place was a man who would do anything to protect his daughter.
A man who was no longer scared of her.
She got in her car, slamming the door, and peeled out of the parking lot, tires squealing.
Ryan stood there, shaking, his heart pounding.
He had to tell Megan.
He had to tell her everything.
Even if it meant she took Lila away from him forever.
He couldn’t keep this from her.
May you like
Not when Margaret was back.
Not when Lila was in danger.
