“This is the first time I've really had the chance to tell you I'm sorry for dropping that bombshell on you in court. It's just that everything had happened so fast. Joe Holmes had just been filling me in on his plans to arrest Edward; he could have done that without my making that plea to the court, but I wanted the judge to see with her own eyes what kind of man Edward was.”

“I was upset at the very moment you said you weren't my lawyer anymore,” Lily said. “But after that, I couldn't have been happier.”

Lindsey nodded. “I'd just met Judy and Rebecca, and I was interviewing them as our witnesses—when it occurred to me that the proceedings could be stopped before they even got started if I could get Rebecca on the record right away.”

“Well, whatever you did, it worked,” Lily said, smiling, and pointed her toward Tara and Joe.

And then Judy and Rebecca arrived. Scanning the crowd for Rose, Lily introduced them to Maeve and Clara.

“Our heroes,” Maeve said, holding Rebecca's hands.

“We were happy to be there,” Judy said. Her scar wasn't as apparent in the twilight, but just seeing a hint of it made Lily shiver. Leaving Rebecca with Maeve briefly, Lily pivoted Judy for a moment alone.

“I can't thank you enough,” Lily said, gazing at Judy.

“There were so many times when I wanted to call you,” Judy said. “Back when you first married him, and I saw the announcement in the paper. I remember looking at your picture, thinking you looked so happy. I thought, maybe he's different with her. Maybe it really was me—that I just made him so mad, we couldn't be together.”

“It wasn't you,” Lily said.

“No. But back then, I felt so terrible. Rebecca was nine then, and he'd never had one thing to do with her.”

“Rose's age now . . .”

Judy nodded. “We had moved out of Hawthorne, up to Salisbury, where we live now. It's about as far from Edward as we could get in this state. At first, Rebecca used to wonder about her father, but then she stopped asking. It was as if he didn't really exist. But I would look in the mirror and know he did.”

“I thought of calling you so many times,” Judy continued. “I wanted you to find me. If you had, I would have said, ‘I've been waiting for your call.' I knew, deep down, that Ed was doing the same kind of things to you. It's in him too deep to ever stop. I wanted you to know that you weren't alone.”

“I know it now,” Lily said, hugging Judy. Just then, Liam and Rose came over. They all stood there, and Lily's eyes roved back and forth between Rebecca and Rose.

Lily held out her hand to Rose.