“Dad… My Back Hurts So Bad I Can’t Sleep. Mom Told Me Not to Tell You.” I Had Just Walked In From a Business Trip

Eight years old.

Already correcting adult guilt.

I stared into the dark.

She was right.

My absence may have made concealment easier.

It had not caused Sarah’s choices.

Those were different things.

I would spend months learning not to confuse them.

PART 8 — THE FORENSIC INTERVIEW

Two days later, Lily met with a trained child forensic interviewer at a child advocacy center.