Chapter 72

The sight of Daisy standing there with an ice cream cone in her hand, smiling innocently as if nothing in the world could ever touch her, nearly brought me to my knees. My heart pounded so violently I thought my chest might split open. For a split second, I couldn’t breathe. Then my legs moved before my mind even caught up.

“Daisy!” I cried, my voice breaking as I rushed toward her. I scooped her into my arms, clutching her so tightly she squealed in protest and nearly dropped her cone. I didn’t care. My body trembled as I pressed her head against my shoulder, desperate to feel the weight of her, the proof that she was real, that she was safe.

She leaned back slightly, her big eyes wide and confused, the ice cream melting down one side of the cone. “Mommy,” she whispered softly, licking the corner as though nothing in the world was wrong. “What’s wrong?”

I couldn’t answer. My throat closed, words refusing to come. Relief and terror collided inside me, sharp and ove