Amanda rolled her eyes, a gesture so casual it made me nauseous. “She was stealing food, Jack. Stealing. If we don’t correct that behavior now, what will she be when she grows up? A criminal? I just wanted to teach her a lesson.” Maybe the water was a little hotter than I thought, but she’s such a drama queen. Look at her, she’s fine.
The police officer stepped forward, placing himself between Amanda and me, probably fearing what I might do. “Mrs. Carter,” the officer said firmly, “the doctors have confirmed second- and third-degree burns. The skin on the palms of the child’s hands has peeled off. That’s not ‘a little warm.’ That’s waterboarding. That’s torture.”
Amanda snorted indignantly. “I’m raising her! Someone has to, since her father is never home!” She turned to me, seeking an ally in her madness. “Tell him, Jack. Tell him how difficult Lily is. Tell him how she lies to us. I did it for us, for our family.”
At that moment, I saw Lily on the bed, shrinking away, trying to make herself invisible. I walked toward Amanda until I was inches from her face. I could smell her expensive perfume, the same one I had given her for Christmas. It disgusted me.
“You’re right about one thing, Amanda,” I said. She smiled, triumphant. “I was never home. That was my crime. And I’m going to pay for it for the rest of my life. But you…” My voice broke, but I regained my strength, shouting, “You’re a monster! You starved her to death! You burned her skin because she was hungry!”
“It was just bread!” she shouted, losing her composure. “They’re just rules!”
“She’s my daughter!” I roared, and the whole hallway fell silent.
The officer pulled out the handcuffs. The metallic click as they snapped shut around Amanda’s wrists was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard. “Amanda Carter, you’re under arrest for aggravated child abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon, and criminal neglect.”
As they took her away, she didn’t cry. She didn’t apologize. She glared at me with hatred and shouted, “You won’t last a week without me! You don’t even know how to use a washing machine! That girl will ruin your life!”
When her screams faded down the hall, I turned to Lily. The heart monitor’s rate began to slow. The panic was subsiding. I sat back down beside her and kissed her sweaty forehead. “It’s over, my love. The wicked witch is gone. And I swear on my life she won’t be back.”