Chapter 6 - A Secret Alliance
Determined to protect the child who had extended a hand to him, Ethan began spending his afternoons in the east wing. He brought Lily sketchbooks, classic novels, and board games, slowly filling her silent world with color and laughter.
In return, Lily gave Ethan something he hadn't possessed in years: a purpose. Through their daily conversations, Ethan began asking subtle questions about her life before her father died. Lily’s memories were fragmented, but vivid. She remembered a small black ledger her father, Arthur, always kept in his desk—a book with a golden lock that he called his "safety net."
"Daddy said if anything ever happened to him, I should give the key to someone good," Lily whispered one afternoon, reaching into the hollow inside of her stuffed bunny and pulling out a tiny silver key attached to a pink ribbon. Ethan stared at the key in shock. The piece of paper or ledger Arthur hid wasn't just a rumor; it was real, and Lily had been protecting it all along without understanding its power.
