Chapter 12 - Lily Reclaimed Her Birthday
The first birthday after the attack terrified me.
Not because I thought Camille would show up.
Legally she couldn’t.
I was afraid of what the day itself meant now.
Would Lily cry?
Would she refuse a cake?
Would she remember only the bat?
Rachel—yes, the same Rachel who had once been Lily’s teacher—had become one of the most important people in our lives by then. Not romantically at first. Just steadily. Kindly. She knew how to talk to Lily without pushing. She understood how children circle their fear before stepping through it.
She suggested something simple.
“Give Lily control.”
So we did.
Lily chose everything.
Tiny guest list.
Purple cake.
Movie night theme.
No grandparents.
No formal dining room.
No string lights.
And when it came time for the cake, she looked at me and said, “Can we put it on the kitchen island instead of the table?”
“Of course.”
She stared at it for a few seconds before blowing out the candles.
Then she looked up and asked, “Can we smash one cupcake on purpose after?”
I laughed.
“Absolutely.”
So we did.
A tiny, ridiculous, controlled little smash.
Purple frosting on the counter.
Rachel laughing.
Lily grinning for the first time that whole day with her full face.
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That was when I realized healing is sometimes nothing more dramatic than replacing a memory on purpose.
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