“Mom!”
Lily reached toward me.
That was enough.
I shoved past Daniel.
He caught my arm.
Not hard.
But he stopped me.
“Don’t touch her mouth.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Please.”
He let go of me immediately.
“Just don’t touch her face.”
I looked at Lily.
Then at the object in Daniel’s hand.
It was a tiny dental mirror.
The kind dentists use to see behind teeth.
Beside Lily on the bed was the white box.
Open now.
Inside were sterile gauze pads, a small flashlight, disposable gloves, and several sealed plastic tubes.
I stared at them.
“What is this?”
Daniel looked at Lily.
Then at me.
And suddenly the fear on his face looked completely different.
Not the fear of a man who had been caught hurting his daughter.
The fear of a man whose secret had just become impossible to keep.
“She found a lump.”
My anger stalled.
“What
