That afternoon, before the older girls got home, I moved the recorder to the living room shelf and hid it behind a stack of old magazines.
Then I asked Lily to set up her coloring books at the coffee table, just like she used to.
“I’ll be right here in the kitchen. You’ll be fine. Promise.”
When Ava and Sophie arrived home, Daniel had just finished work and was in the kitchen with me, scrolling on his phone.
At first, everything was normal.
Then Sophie walked into the living room and saw Lily coloring at the coffee table.
“Oh,” she said, her tone shifting immediately. “You’re in here.”
I nudged Daniel, put a finger to my lips, and gestured to the living room. He frowned, wondering why I was shushing him, but he nodded and lowered his phone.
“I was just drawing…”
“We use the living room after school. That’s the rule we gave you, remember? Go draw somewhere else.”
