Dear Lily,

I will never forget your father's sad face as he stood in front of me with a trash bag that already had the other bloody towels in it, and I threw in the now second bloody facecloth in with them.

“Take your coat off,” he said, uncharacteristically stoic. I looked down and saw my entire new red pea coat was covered in blood and ruined beyond repair. I shrugged it off without thinking twice or saying a word. “Where are your shoes?” he started to look concerned, as if he was waiting for me to point out a bunch of bloody footprints that they’d have to clean. I pictured where my shoes were. I wanted to have a breakdown right there and then, but I knew I couldn’t.

“I left them upstairs. I dropped th...

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