“Dad, she says I’m not welcome here. She wants me to go away.”
Her words were a dagger, slicing through the fog of wedding day nerves and excitement. I pulled Lily closer, her fragile frame trembling in my arms. How could something so hurtful be said to my innocent, grieving child? My mind raced, questioning everything I thought I knew about Claire, the woman I was moments away from marrying.
“Lily, I promise, I’ll always be here for you,” I assured her, though my own voice quivered with uncertainty. “We’ll figure this out together.”
