Chapter 6 - Shards of the Mirror
Three weeks later, Lily was finally discharged from the hospital. The physical scars were severe; the caustic chemical had left deep, hyperpigmented tracks across her right cheek and jawline, and the laceration from my father's ring required twelve stitches that left a jagged silver line near her eye.
The psychological scars were even deeper. She refused to look in mirrors. Whenever we walked past a reflective surface in our apartment, she would hide her face in my hip.
But we were not alone anymore.
The library where I worked organized a community fundraiser to help cover Lily’s mounting medical bills and the cost of future reconstructive surgeries. Total strangers dropped off books, toys, and hand-knitted blankets at our apartment. My apartment complex neighbors formed a rota to cook us dinner every single night.
One afternoon, a knock came at the door. It was Karen, my sister-in-law, holding Madison’s hand.
I froze at the doorway. Madison looked nervous, clutching a homemade card in her hands.
"Emily, please," Karen said, her eyes pleading. "Madison has been begging to see Lily. She knows what they did. We've explained it to her in a way a seven-year-old can understand. She refuses to talk about her own birthday. She just wants her cousin."
I stepped aside, letting them in.
Madison ran over to the couch where Lily was sitting, reading a book. Lily instinctively pulled her hair over the right side of her face to hide her bandages.
But Madison didn't look at the bandages with disgust or fear. She sat down right next to Lily and handed her the card. It was a drawing of the two of them, holding hands under a massive, colorful rainbow.
"I brought you my favorite glitter shoes," Madison whispered, pulling a shiny pair of flats out of her backpack. "They're too big for me anyway. And... I told Mommy I don't want to have birthdays anymore if you can't come."
May you like
Lily looked at the shoes, then at Madison. Slowly, she let her hair fall back, exposing the scarred, healing side of her face. Madison didn't flinch. She just reached out and hugged Lily tightly.
Watching them, I realized that my parents’ poison had failed to infect the next generation. The cycle of cruelty was stopping with us.
