Milford finally looked at Enid. When he saw the raw, bleeding wounds on her tiny arms and legs, confusion twisted across his face.
“What are you talking about? Enid’s my daughter—I would never let something like that happen to her.”
I froze for a beat. He… didn’t know?
Milford frowned and turned to the butler. “Bring Lisa here.”
Malissa walked in moments later, already crying—tears perfectly timed, voice trembling just right.
“Milo, you’ve got it all wrong… Lori misunderstood me. Enid’s such a sweet little thing—how could I ever hurt her?”
“You know how much she loves playing hide and seek. Just now, she begged me to play with her. I was busy handling the guests and couldn’t find her in time. Who could’ve guessed she’d go and lock herself in a dog cage? That child has such an imagination…”
Milford staggered back a step, more stunned by my rage than the shove itself. He didn’t apologize. He didn’t even look at Enid. Instead, he turned to Malissa—like she was the one who needed comforting.
Malissa dabbed fake tears with a silk handkerchief, her voice trembling just enough to sound fragile. “Milo… she’s just making a scene. I know Enid’s upset, but blaming me for something like this? You really think I’d hurt a little girl?”
Milford looked torn for half a second—just half. Then his jaw tightened.
“This isn’t the time or place for this,” he snapped. “Lori, if you want to talk, we’ll talk later. But right now, Lisa and I are celebrating the birth of our son. Don’t ruin that for us.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. He just watched as Enid stood there, shaking, her cheek already red and swelling. His daughter. And he chose her. Again.
Malissa slipped her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder like the doting saint she pretended to be.
“I’m not asking for much,” she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I just want a peaceful home for our baby…”
Peaceful? She had locked my daughter in a cage.
I wrapped my arms around Enid and whispered into her hair, “It’s okay, baby. Mama’s here now. I won’t let them hurt you again.”
Inside, though, I was on fire. If they wanted peace, they should’ve thought of that before crossing a mother with nothing left to lose.
Milford hesitated for a moment, but before he could say anything, Malissa burst into louder sobs, her voice quivering with theatrical despair.