The Door at the Back of the Store
Chapter 03 - The Door at the Back of the Store
Vanessa disappeared through the private doors.
Ethan waited.
One minute became three.
Three became five.
Lily leaned against him.
"Are we in trouble?"
"No."
"That lady doesn't like us."
Ethan almost smiled.
"Sometimes people decide who you are before they know you."
"Mommy said that was rude."
"Your mommy was usually right."
The private doors opened.
Vanessa returned.
But she was no longer alone.
Behind her stood an older man in a perfectly tailored navy suit.
Richard Hale.
At seventy-two, he still carried himself like a man accustomed to entering rooms that immediately became his.
But when he saw Ethan, his confidence vanished.
His eyes moved from Ethan's worn clothes to Lily.
Then he stopped breathing.
Lily looked exactly like Emma had at seven years old.
Richard took one step forward.
"What is your name?"
Lily moved closer to her father.
"Lily."
Richard's voice trembled.
"Your last name?"
"Cole."
Richard looked at Ethan.
"Where is Emma?"
Ethan could barely force the words out.
"She died eight months ago."
Richard's face drained of color.
"No."
"I'm sorry."
"No."
He shook his head harder.
"No. Emma is alive."
Ethan stared at him.
"You haven't spoken to her in twenty-three years."
"That doesn't mean she's dead."
"I buried my wife."
Richard's hands began trembling.
For years, he had convinced himself Emma would eventually return.
There would always be another Christmas.
Another birthday.
Another chance.
Now there wasn't.
Lily looked between the two men.
"Did you know my mommy?"
Richard slowly turned toward her.
His eyes filled with something Lily had never seen in a stranger before.
Regret.
"Yes," he whispered.
"Was she your friend?"
Richard closed his eyes.
"No, sweetheart."
He opened them again.
"She was my daughter."
Lily stared at him.
May you like
Then she asked the question that cut deeper than anything Ethan could have said.
"If she was your daughter... why did Mommy think you didn't love her?"
