Chapter 3 - Rebuilding the Pieces
A week later, I brought Emily home to my modest two-bedroom apartment. It wasn't a grand mansion, but it was safe. I had spent the last forty-eight hours transforming her bedroom into a sanctuary, filling it with bright colors, soft pillows, and new books to replace everything Jason had thrown into the green water of that pool.
When we walked through the door, Emily didn't run to her room like she used to. She stayed glued to my side, her small hand gripping the belt loop of my jeans.
"You can sit anywhere you want, Em," I said softly, kneeling down to her eye level. "This is your home. Nobody can come in here without our permission."
She looked around the quiet living room, her eyes darting toward the front door, checking the heavy deadbolt lock I had installed the day before. "Is the door locked, Dad?"
"Double locked," I assured her. "And I have a security camera right outside."
She finally let go of my jeans and walked over to the sofa, sitting down perfectly straight, her hands folded in her lap. It broke my heart to see her so disciplined, so quiet. The vibrant, laughing ten-year-old girl who used to complain about her half-zipped backpack was gone, replaced by a traumatized survivor.
"Dad?" she whispered.
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"Why didn't you answer my calls?"
The question felt like a physical blow to my chest. I rushed over and sat beside her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Em, I swear to you, I never got any calls. My phone never rang. I called you every single day."
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"Jason took my phone," she said into my shoulder, her voice muffled. "But he made me dial your number on speakerphone. He would hold a knife to my doll’s throat and tell me that if I cried, he’d hurt my stuffed animals. And when your voice answered, he would hang up before you could say hello. He told me you were hanging up on me because you didn't want a broken daughter."
Tears streamed down my face, hot and furious. The psychological cruelty was sickening. "He lied to you, Emily. I wanted you every single second. I will never, ever let anyone hurt you again."
