His voice grew bitter.
“All I could remember was Anna standing in our kitchen, crying over a costume.”
I took a step back.
“So you recognized my family all along?”
“Your mother introduced herself when you moved here. I remembered her immediately.”
“And you’ve held this against us for years?”
He nodded.
“Tonight, when Lily appeared in that dress, I wanted you to feel what we felt.”
There it was.
Not a momentary lapse. Not confusion.
He had deliberately hurt my daughter.
“You watched Lily smile at you,” I said. “And you decided to punish her.”
He looked away.
“Go home, Mr. Harrison.”
I carried the shoebox inside and locked the door.
Then I called my mother.
She answered sleepily.
“Daphne? Is everything okay?”
“Mom, do you remember a little girl named Anna?”
The silence lasted several seconds.
“Of course I remember Anna.”
“Something happened at a Halloween party 25 years ago. Mr. Harrison says you excluded her from a costume contest.”
