you promised her for her birthday?"


    I closed my eyes, the memory surfacing unwillingly. "I promised to take her to Moonlight Fair."


    "Yes," Olivia nodded. "She was so excited, Ethan. For weeks, it was all she talked about. ''Daddy and I are going to ride the carousel together. Daddy and I are going to eat cotton candy.'' She even practiced riding on my shoulders so she wouldn''t be scared on yours."


    Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I blinked them away, unwilling to show such


    weakness in public.


    "But you never showed up," Olivia said, her own tears now flowing freely. "Because Emma had


    a dance recital that day, and Victoria needed you there."


    The usation hung in the air between us, undeniable in its truth. I had chosen Emma over


    my own daughter, Victoria over my mate.


    "I made a mistake," I admitted, the words feeling inadequate even as I spoke them.


    "A mistake?" Olivia''s voice rose slightly. "You broke her heart, Ethan. And it wasn''t the first


    time."


    She reached into her purse and pulled out a USB drive. "Didn''t you want to see Lily? Watch


    this, and I''ll take you to her immediately!"


    I took the drive from her outstretched hand, my fingers trembling slightly. Whatever was on


    this drive, I knew it would change everything.


    "Maxwell," I called, my voice hoarse. "y this on the main screen."


    Maxwell nodded, taking the drive and connecting it to the control panel for the massive disy screen I''d installed at the fair''s entrance. Within moments, the screen flickered to life.


    The footage showed Moonlight Fair, the old one, not the grand new version I''d built. The


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    timestamp in the corner confirmed what I already suspected-it was from Lily''s birthday, the day I had promised to meet her.


    And there she was. My daughter, dressed in her favorite blue dress, her chestnut hair secured with the moonstone clip I''d given her for Christmas. She stood at the entrance, her small face alight with excitement and anticipation.


    "Daddy will be here soon," she told the security guard who checked on her. "He promised."


    My chest tightened as I watched her check her small watch repeatedly, her smile never faltering.


    "He''s probably just stuck in traffic," she reasoned, speaking to herself. "Or maybe he had to help someone in the pack. Daddy''s very important, you know."


    As time passed, she pulled out a sketchbook and began flipping through pages of drawings- crude but heartfelt illustrations of our family. Me, tall and strong. Olivia, smiling and kind. And Lily, small between us, holding both our hands.


    "Look what I drew for Daddy," she told a passing family, proudly disying her artwork. "He''s going to love it!"


    Hours ticked by on the timestamp. Lily''s excitement gradually dimmed, though she fought to maintain her belief that I woulde.


    When hunger struck, she reluctantly opened her backpack and removed a carefully wrapped package. Inside was a venison sandwich and a moonberry cookie. She ate half the sandwich and just a small bite of the cookie.


    "I have to save the rest for Daddy," she exined to no one in particr. "He works so hard, he


    must be hungry too."


    As the afternoon wore on, Lily''s face grew increasingly pale. She sat on a bench near the entrance, her legs swinging, still watching the parking lot for any sign of my car.


    "He''lle,” she whispered, her voice growing fainter. "Daddy promised."


    I couldn''t tear my eyes away from the screen, even as my vision blurred with tears. The weight


    of my failure as a father crushed down on me with each passing moment of footage.


    By evening, Lily was visibly struggling. Her normally vibrant face had grown ashen, her movements sluggish. Still, she waited, her faith in me unshaken despite all evidence to the contrary.


    I turned to Olivia, unable to watch any more. "How long did she wait for me?"


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    Olivia''s face was streaked with tears, her pain a mirror of my own. The question hung between us, unanswered, as her earlier words echoed in my mind.


    "Lily is dead!"


    A wave of terror washed over me as the horrifying question formed in my mind: Was Lily truly


    gone?