Chapter 205 The Child Was Hit by a Car
"You and Liam can step outside for a moment. I'd like to have a proper chat with this little one," Dr. Parker requested.
"Of course."
Grace took Liam's hand and walked out of the consultation room, gently closing the door behind them.
The clinic was spacious. Since Dr. Parker specialized in childhood psychological issues, she'd decorated the waiting area with child-friendly toys, including LEGO building stations and sand tables.
Grace settled down with Liam to build with the colorful blocks.
Before she knew it, thirty minutes had passed...
Suddenly, a sharp scream pierced through the consultation room door.
Grace jumped and rushed to the door. Through the barrier, she could hear Lily crying uncontrollably—the most heart-wrenching sobs she'd ever heard, filled with terror, anguish, and despair.
She reached for the door handle, but Dr. Parker's assistant quickly intervened.
"Ma'am, Dr. Parker is conducting therapy with the child. You can't go in right now—it would disrupt the treatment process."
"I heard her crying. I'm worried she might be having some kind of episode," Grace said, her voice tight with concern.
The assistant spoke patiently. "You need to trust Dr. Parker. She's a leading expert in child psychology. I assure you that she can handle whatever's happening in there."
Grace nodded reluctantly and returned to her seat.
Through the door, she could hear Lily's intermittent crying—sometimes intense and raw, sometimes muffled and suppressed. Occasionally the sobs would quiet as the child answered questions, only to erupt again in fresh waves of anguish.
Each sound made Grace's heart clench painfully.
After what felt like an eternity—another full hour—the door finally opened.
Dr. Parker emerged from the consultation room, looking visibly drained and somewhat shaken.
Grace rushed over anxiously. "Dr. Parker, how is she?"
"She's clearly suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," Dr. Parker said gravely. "This child has endured tremendous trauma. During our session, she recounted witnessing her mother's murder and her father's abandonment..."
Combined with the shadow of Black Mass she'd experienced, Lily's psychological state was severely compromised. She'd become hypervigilant and extremely sensitive to her environment.
Dr. Parker had asked only a few basic questions, yet Lily exhibited severe startle responses. Her intense attachment to Grace stemmed from her desperate need for security—Grace was the only source of warmth and safety she'd found after so much tragedy. Beyond that, she was displaying classic symptoms of separation anxiety.
Because she depended so heavily on Grace, she lived in constant fear of abandonment, terrified of being rejected and left completely alone. This had created a pessimistic emotional state, and in Grace's presence, she exhibited pronounced people-pleasing behaviors and clingy attachment.
"What can we do? How serious are these symptoms? Will she need ongoing therapy?" Grace asked.
"I recommend twice-weekly sessions," Dr. Parker replied. "These are all psychological symptoms, and she's still young. If we don't address these issues now, these traumas will follow her into adulthood and become lifelong shadows."
"How long would the treatment take?"
"That's impossible to predict. It depends on the child's cognitive abilities and receptiveness to therapy. Some children have strong insight and recover relatively quickly, while others struggle with comprehension or have naturally pessimistic temperaments that make recovery much more difficult. Right now, what she needs most is consistent companionship and support. I can see she's very attached to you—are you her adoptive mother?"
"No," Grace said quietly.
"I see." The doctor's expression grew more sympathetic. "That explains it. She's extremely anxious right now, terrified that you're going to send her back to the orphanage."
Grace pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
She didn't want to send Lily back either, but everyone seemed to think that since she and Lily had no blood relation, there was no reason for Grace to invest so much in the child's wellbeing.
These days, kindness seemed to count for so little.
...
Leaving the psychology clinic, Grace felt deeply troubled.
She held Lily's hand, feeling the cold sweat coating the little girl's palm. Lily was clearly struggling to suppress her anxiety in Grace's presence, hardly daring to speak, desperate to appear as well-behaved as possible.
It seemed she believed that only by being perfectly obedient and pleasing could she earn the right to stay by Grace's side.
Liam glanced at Lily, noting how tightly she clung to Grace, her little face pale as paper. He could see the anxiety flickering in her eyes.
Suddenly spotting an ice cream truck in the distance, he spoke up, "Grace, Lily wants some ice cream."
Lily immediately looked up in alarm, frantically shaking her hands in denial.
She didn't dare ask Grace for anything—not even something as simple as ice cream.
Grace smiled knowingly. "Liam, you're the one who wants ice cream, aren't you?"
"I can tell Lily's sad," Liam said earnestly. "When I'm sad, I want ice cream. It makes me feel better."
In his innocent way, he believed that something delicious might cheer Lily up just as it did for him.
Grace's expression softened. "Alright then. I'll go get some for both of you."
When it came to Liam, Grace could rarely say no.
"Great!" Liam took Lily's hand with a gentle smile. "Lily and I will wait right here."
"Perfect."
Grace looked around carefully, making sure she could keep the children in sight. She positioned them on a nearby bus stop bench where she could monitor them even while standing in line, then walked over to the ice cream truck.
Liam and Lily sat obediently on the bench, waiting.
"Liam?"
He heard a familiar voice calling his name.
Looking up, Liam saw a woman approaching them. She wore a sun hat and had a slightly rounded belly, clearly pregnant.
He recognized her immediately, his eyes widening in shock as his pupils contracted in fear.
Emily.
It was her—the awful woman who had pushed Grace and nearly killed her.
Liam shot to his feet, grabbing Lily's hand to leave.
But Emily lunged forward and seized his arm. "Liam, don't you remember me?"
Liam struggled violently to break free. "Don't touch me!"
He shoved Emily away and started running toward Grace, calling out desperately, "Grace!"
Emily's eyes narrowed as a cold smile twisted her lips. Watching Liam's retreating figure, she suddenly reached out and gave him a vicious push toward the busy street...
At that exact moment—
Grace had just finished paying for the ice cream.
The vendor handed her two cones. "Here you go, ma'am. Two ice creams."
Grace extended both hands to accept them when suddenly a loud crash erupted behind her, followed by the screech of brakes and a chorus of horrified screams from passersby.
"Someone got hit!"
"Two kids just got struck by that car!"
Grace's heart lurched violently as she spun around toward the commotion.
In the middle of the street, a car sat motionless with its hazard lights blinking.
Crowds of people rushed toward the vehicle, forming an ever-growing circle.
"Those poor children! Where are their parents? How could they not watch their kids properly?"
"What kind of mother is so irresponsible? Doesn't she see how busy this street is?"
"Call 911! Get an ambulance—the kids are badly hurt! There's blood everywhere!"