“What?”
“Don’t do this.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“You’re taking some girl you barely know and turning her into Maggie.”
The exhaustion in his voice hurt more than anger would have.
“I know she isn’t Maggie.”
“Then leave it alone.”
I reached across the table.
Paul pulled his hand away.
That hurt too.
“Every time you tell me she looks like Maggie,” he whispered, “it feels like I lose our daughter all over again.”
After that, I stopped mentioning Lily.
But I couldn’t stop noticing her.
Part 3 — The Secret Lily Was Carrying
As the weeks passed, I got to know Lily as a student rather than a face.
That helped.
She was intelligent without needing everyone to know it.
She had a dry sense of humor.
She loved old mystery novels and had strong opinions about terrible endings.
Occasionally, she left book recommendations on sticky notes on my desk.
