I wasn't sure. Show her. Let her read Victoria's words for herself. Let her see how much her mother loved her. That night, Daniel knocked on Lily's door.
Go away. I have something for you. Something from Victoria. Silence. Then slowly the door opened to crack.
What is it? Daniel held up the worn leather journal. Your mother's diary. She kept it for 15 years. She wrote about searching for you, finding you falling in love with you all over again.
He extended the journal through the crack. I think she would have wanted you to have it. Lily stared at the journal for a long moment. Then she reached out and took it. I'm still mad at you.
I know. You should have told me sooner. I know that, too. Lily clutched the journal against her chest. Did she really love me?
Even though she gave me away, she loved you more than anything in the world. Everything she did, the company, the money, all of it, she did it for you. so she could find you and give you the life she couldn't provide when she was young. Lily's eyes filled with tears. Then why did she give me away? Because she was 18 and scared and alone.
Because her parents threatened to disown her. Because she thought you deserved better than a teenage mother with no money and no support. Daniel knelt down to Lily's level. She made a choice, Lily, and she regretted it every single day for the rest of her life. But that choice led you to mommy Rebecca and then to me.
And I wouldn't trade you for anything. Do you think she's mad at me? Mad at you? Why would she be mad at you? Because I never got to tell her I loved her back.
Lily's voice broke. She told me she loved me. I remember now. She said it when she hugged me that one time, and I didn't understand what she meant, so I didn't say anything. And now she's dead.
And she never knew. Daniel pulled his daughter into his arms. She knew baby. She always knew. They sat on the floor of Lily's bedroom holding each other, crying for the woman they had both loved and lost.
Daddy. Yeah. I'm sorry I was mean to you. You weren't mean. You were hurt.
There's a difference. Lily pulled back and wiped her eyes. Can I read the journal now? Take your time and if you have questions, any questions, I'm right here. Lily nodded.
She opened the journal to the first page and Daniel watched his daughter begin to discover her mother. Over the next few weeks, Lily read Victoria's journal cover to cover. She read it at breakfast at dinner before bed. She carried it with her to school, keeping it in her backpack like a secret treasure. And slowly, she began to heal.