The Secret Lila Had Been Carrying
It took several minutes before Lila gathered enough strength to continue.
Her breathing was slow and uneven.
“I was hungry,” she said quietly.
A cold feeling ran through Adrian.
“What do you mean?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“The cabinets were locked again.”
The words sounded impossible.
Locked?
“She said I wasn’t allowed to eat unless she said so,” Lila continued.
Adrian’s heart began to pound.
“I found a piece of bread on the floor yesterday,” she whispered. “I hid it under my bed for today.”
Her voice shook as tears slipped down her cheeks.
“She saw me.”
Adrian remained still.
He couldn’t move.
“She said I was stealing,” Lila said. “She said bad kids needed to learn a lesson.”
With every word, the room seemed colder.
“She took me to the kitchen.”
Lila stopped speaking.
She didn’t have to finish the story.
Adrian looked again at the bandages wrapped around her small hands.
Something inside him broke.
“She said the hot water would wash the bad away,” Lila whispered. “And she said if I told you… you would leave me.”
Adrian leaned closer to the bed, his voice shaking but firm.
“I will never leave you.”
Lila studied his face carefully.
As if trying to decide if she could trust him.
“Never,” Adrian repeated.
