“This isn’t your house, David,” I said, standing at the edge of the kitchen. “You left this family twelve years ago. And you’re going to jail.”

Officer Miller checked David’s ID. He looked up at me with a nod. “He has three active warrants out of Michigan for grand larceny and child support evasion. He’s going away for a long time, Ellen.”

They dragged David out through the back door. I stood on the back porch and watched them lead him down the gravel alley in handcuffs. Across the street, I could see Brenda standing in her window, watching the police cruiser’s lights reflect against her Buick. David’s head was bowed, his smugness completely gone.

I felt a hand slide into mine.

I looked down. Lily was standing beside me, her cheeks wet with tears. She was watching the police car drive away, her shoulders shaking. But she wasn’t looking at him with longing anymore. She was looking at the ground, realizing the truth of what her father really was.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her. We stood there in the cold morning air for a long time.

We still have a lot of things to figure out. The trust between us is going to take a long time to rebuild, and I know we have some hard conversations ahead of us. But the basement is empty now. The back door lock has been changed.

Yesterday morning, Lily walked into the kitchen while I was making coffee. She didn’t say anything at first. She just picked up her blue ceramic mug, poured some tea, and sat down at the table next to me. She slid a small plate of toast toward me.

“We’re going to be okay, right?” she asked quietly.

I looked at her, and for the first time in three months, I felt like I could actually breathe.

“Yeah, Lily,” I said, taking a piece of toast. “We’re going to be just fine.”