Chapter 16 - Lily's Secret Meeting

They found the address in Lily's deleted messages.

A diner forty minutes away.

Mark drove. Sarah called Lily over and over. Austin watched the map on his phone.

"Her location's back on," he said.

Mark glanced at him.

"She turned it on?"

"For me. We share locations."

Mark did not ask why he had never known that.

He already knew the answer.

The diner appeared ahead.

Mark parked badly and ran inside.

Lily sat in a booth with an elderly couple.

Jason's parents.

The woman was crying and holding both of Lily's hands.

The man had a stack of old family photographs spread across the table.

Lily looked up.

"Dad?"

Mark stopped.

She sounded guilty.

Not afraid.

That mattered.

Sarah reached her first.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You left without telling us."

"Because I knew he'd say no."

She pointed at Mark.

He wanted to deny it.

He couldn't.

Jason's mother stood.

"Mr. Bennett, I'm Elaine Cole. I'm sorry. We should not have agreed to meet her without you."

Mark's voice was tight.

"You're right."

Elaine nodded, accepting it.

"She messaged me first. I was emotional. That doesn't excuse it."

The older man introduced himself as Robert.

He looked at Lily like he was trying to memorize her.

Mark hated how much that hurt.

Austin appeared beside him.

"Remember what you told Lily?"

Mark glanced down.

"What?"

"Your hurt to handle. Not hers to carry."

Mark breathed out.

Then he sat down.

"Okay."

Lily blinked.

"Okay what?"

"Show me the pictures."

She stared at him.

"You're not mad?"

"I'm furious you left without telling us. We'll deal with that. But I'm not angry that you want to know your family."

Elaine started crying again.

She showed Lily a picture of herself at twelve.

Same eyebrows. Same hands.

Mark watched his daughter discover pieces of herself he could never give her.

And for the first time, he did not feel replaced.

He felt useful in a different way.

He could be the person who stayed while she learned.

Then Robert said, "There is one thing we should discuss."

Mark looked at him.

Robert folded his hands.

"Jason wants Lily to spend a few weeks with us next summer."

Mark's chair scraped the floor.

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