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It's almost Lily's 3rd birthday, which means today I'm busy tidying the whole house while watching Lily and Jake - also Pip, but she just sleeps and eats. Brad's working today, he said he has something special he's working on this time. He said he'd be home as quick as possible, but he may be later than usual because of it.
I placed Jake down on to the white mat that was covered in all sorts of animals. Since Jake has only just started to open his eyes, he's so festinated by them. Lily sat with him, gently caressing Jake's head with her small hand.
Lily talks to Jake as if he could understand her. It's adorable to watch. She always makes sure she's smiling - which helps me on days like today when I'm juggling looking after them and tidying the house.
I kept an eye on the two as I made sure everything looked tidy - not just for the party (that's happening god knows when) but for Brad too.
"Mama?" I heard Lily's little voice speak. Poor Lily has been quite distant since that whole incident at the shopping centre. She hasn't really said anything to me, nor Brad, but I can understand that. I'd be pretty shook up too.
"Yes?" My heart started to pound against my chest. This is the first time she's spoken to me in days. Unbelievable, I know. She may only be two years old, but she's not stupid.
Lily shuffled from her position next to Jake and tucked her legs under her body as she sat on her knees. She nervously tangled her fingers together before she spoke to me.
"Did you do a bad thing to daddy?" Lily mumbled, twisting her fingers around her hand.
My heart sunk at her words. What does that mean? What would make her think that? Not that I've ever done anything to deliberately hurt Brad or his feelings - but why would she even think to ask that?
"No, baby. No. Why.. why would you ask that?" I stopped what I was doing, in pure shock at her words, and sat on the floor opposite her. My gaze glancing to Jake, making sure he's alright.
"Theo told me. She told me what you did." Lily looked at me with a frown on her little face. Her eyes were glossy and slightly red.
Who is Theo and what did they tell my daughter?
"I- who's Theo?" I stuttered, feeling a horrible feeling in my gut.
"Is it true mama?" Lily asked, ignoring what I asked.
I sighed angrily, feeling my mind spinning. Who the fuck is Theo?!
"No, baby.. I've never done anything bad to daddy, okay?" I assured her, reaching to hold her small, soft hand. Lily, still frowning, looked up at me with her big eyes.
"Now who's Theo?" I ask Lily, trying my best to keep my cool around her.
"I met her at the shops." Lily spoke.
With that, I let go of her hand and placed mine over my mouth. So, this 'Theo' told Lily all of this AND took her away from me?! The anger I'm feeling is beyond what I've felt in a long time.
"What- what did this Theo say to you?" I took my hand any from my mouth so I was able to speak. Lily shuffled uncomfortably and tugged on her dress that she wore.
"She said you did a bad thing to daddy. That you replaced daddy with someone else."
What Lily said made me feel sick.
So, what I'm getting from Lily, is that this person - 'Theo' - took my daughter, convinced her that I did something bad to Brad AND then returned her. Who would even think of doing such a thing?! It's monstrous.
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and trying not to cry. I kept the tears back and opened my eyes again. Lily was still sat with a frown on her face.
"Lily, baby.. I never did anything to hurt daddy. I would never, ever do that. You must understand that. The same for him, he would never hurt me, or you and Jake - ever." I said sternly to Lily. I hope she takes this in and remembers this.
Lily nodded her head as a tear slipped down her cheek. I sighed sadly, bringing my thumb to her face and wiping away the tear. She then stood up and walked over to me, flinging her arms around my neck and placing her knees in my lap. She wrapped her arms around me tight, crying into my shoulder.
"I'm sorry mama." Lily continued to cry, her voice muffled by my shoulder. My heart is aching for her, I feel so bad for all of this. To be fair, I am responsible. I should have watched her closer and made sure she never let go of my hand.
"It's not your fault, Lily. Don't apologise." I brought my hand up to her head and cradled her.
"Apologise?" Lily repeated, sounding confused. She lifted her head from my shoulder and sat on my lap, her big eyes looking up at me.
"It means you're sorry. You haven't done anything wrong, so you don't need to say sorry." I tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear and ran my hand through the back of her hair.
Lily stayed silent, but I knew she heard me. Just then, the front door opened causing Pip to bark and run towards the door. Lily's head shot up as she looked at the doorway of the living room, waiting for Brad to come into her sight.
With Pip jumping around, I shuffled over to Jake and picked him up from the mat he lay on and cradled him in my arms. His eyes were open fully now, so when Brad walked into sight, Jake's smile widened.
Lily and Pip gave Brad an unreal amount of attention when he go home from work. Brad loved it. He loved seeing Lily's smile and how excited she was to see him. He loved seeing Pip jump so high and excitedly sway her tail around.
"Brad, I need to talk to you." I said as Lily let go of his leg and ran around with Pip. Brad's expression turned nervous at my words, so I sent him a small smile which seemed to calm him down.
I walked out of the living room with Jake in my arms, Brad following me into the kitchen while Lily played with Pip in the living room.
"Lily told me something today." I started, gently bouncing the tiny baby in my arms as he lay awake, looking at his surroundings. "She said someone named 'Theo' told her I did something bad to you. That I replaced you. Brad, I think this 'Theo' took Lily away from me the other day."
Brad's face was full of confusion. He looked puzzled, but mainly angry. He hates anyone getting involved with his family.
"This is why she hasn't spoken to me for a while. I thought it was the shock of what happened.. but, I guess she was told a false story that she thought was true.." I sighed, a million thoughts rushing through my mind.
"So, you think this person purposely lured Lily away from you?" Brad asked, furrowing his brows to try and wrap his head around this. I nodded in response, a worried look flashing across Brad's eyes.
"Why would someone do that?" Brad frustratedly shook his head. I shrugged, not knowing why someone would want to do that at all.
"Well, were going to find out who did this. I'm not having some psychopath kidnapping our daughter telling her lies.." Brad vented, his back resting against the counter as he faced me.
I stayed silent, not knowing what else to say, if there is anything else to say. Jake looked around happily, his hands sometimes waving about when Pip wandered in and out with Lily following.
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sorry for the shitty ending:/
are you actually liking this third book? i don't wanna let anyone down:( are there any specific things you want to happen? if so, comment or dm me! im always up for new ideas:)
