Chapter 3 - THE GIRL ON THE DONATION PAGE
Child-protection investigators interviewed Lily without Taylor, Evelyn, or me in the room.
I sat in the hallway while guilt worked through me like fever.
I had not locked my daughter inside a freezer.
I had still left her in a house where someone could.
Taylor’s attorney arrived before the interview ended. He warned me not to make “emotional accusations” and said Taylor would seek emergency custody if I attempted to remove Lily.
“She nearly froze our daughter.”
“That is disputed.”
“The chain was outside.”
“You destroyed the lock before police arrived.”
I wanted to hit him.
Instead, I gave his card to the investigator.
The medical team found no permanent cold injury, but Lily was dehydrated and chronically undernourished. Her blood tests showed deficiencies that did not develop in a few missed meals.
Taylor had attended every appointment.
I had joined by video when work allowed.
She told doctors Lily ate poorly because of nausea and a rare digestive condition being evaluated privately.
The hospital could find no confirmed diagnosis.
A social worker named Maya Chen asked whether I knew about the online fundraiser.
“What fundraiser?”
She turned a laptop toward me.
A photograph of Lily filled the screen.
Her cheeks looked hollow. A blanket covered her shoulders. The page title read:
LILY’S FIGHT FOR A FUTURE.
According to the story, our daughter suffered from an undiagnosed metabolic disorder that prevented her body from using food properly. Taylor described hospital admissions, specialist travel, experimental treatments, and mounting debt.
More than 186,000 dollars had been donated.
I recognized none of the hospital rooms in the photographs.
My name appeared in several updates.
Ben is working every possible hour to save his little girl.
I had never written those words.
The most recent update had been posted that morning.
Lily is growing weaker. Tomorrow may be our last chance to obtain answers.
Tomorrow.
The day after Taylor locked her in the freezer.
When the forensic interviewer finished, she shared only what was necessary for immediate safety.
Lily said Taylor sometimes made her miss meals before photographs.
She said Evelyn told her, “People help children who look sick.”
She did not understand where the money went.
Neither did I.
Then Maya showed me the fundraiser’s next scheduled event.
A livestream titled:
May you like
LILY’S FINAL FAST BEFORE TREATMENT.
It was scheduled to begin that evening.
