Then I Noticed Lily Changing
It started small.
She stopped bringing her toys into the living room. Instead of spreading out crayons and building forts the way she always had, she retreated to her bedroom.
She started hiding her stuffed animals, and she grew quieter, more hesitant. Sometimes I caught her with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, though she insisted she was merely “tired.”
When I asked if Ava and Sophie were bothering her, she always shook her head. Source: Pexels
“They’re nice,” she’d whisper too quickly. “They’re just older, Mommy. I’m fine.”
But the tension in her voice said she wasn’t fine at all. I work in an office every day, so I wasn’t home often enough to see what was happening.
Around Daniel, the girls were sweet, mature, and helpful. They’d offer to carry groceries or ask if Lily needed help with homework.
Yet when they were alone with Lily and me, something felt… off.
I tried bringing it up with Daniel one night.
“Do you think the girls and Lily are truly getting along?” I asked. “She seems… tense. Different.”
He smiled reassuringly.
“They’re still adjusting, honey. Blended families take time, and Lily’s used to being an only child.”
He meant well, but my instincts were screaming that whatever was going on with Lily was bigger than just adjustment issues.
