Chapter 14 - The Pink NotebookDaniel did not open the notebook immediately.

He found Naomi in the garden, sitting beneath Amara's favorite magnolia tree.

"Grace found something," he told her gently.

He showed her the pink cover.

Naomi's face went pale.

"Am I in trouble?"

"No."

"Vanessa said nobody could read that."

Daniel sat beside her.

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

Naomi hesitated.

"It's my rules."

"What rules?"

"The ones I had to remember."

Daniel kept his voice steady.

"Can I look?"

After a long silence, Naomi nodded.

The first page contained a list.

Don't tell Daddy when I am hungry.

Don't ask about Mommy at dinner.

Don't cry when guests are here.

Don't sit in the big chairs.

Don't call Grace for help.

Don't say Vanessa is mean.

Daniel felt each sentence like a blow.

He turned the page.

There were dates.

Most entries were simple.

Tuesday: I asked for an apple.

Thursday: I cried at breakfast.

Sunday: I said I missed Mommy.

Beside each entry, Naomi had drawn a small circle.

Some circles contained an X.

"What do these mean?" Daniel asked.

"Bad days."

"And the empty circles?"

"Days I was good."

He counted.

There were far more Xs than empty circles.

On the final page, Naomi had written:

If I am good every day, Daddy will love me again.

Daniel closed the notebook.

For a moment, he could not speak.

Naomi watched his face anxiously.

"Are you sad because I was bad?"

He shook his head.

"I'm sad because someone made you believe those things."

She stared at the grass.

"Vanessa said good children don't need to ask for love."

Daniel reached toward her, then waited.

When Naomi moved closer, he embraced her.

"Listen to me carefully. You never have to earn my love. You couldn't lose it if you tried."

Naomi began to cry.

"But you went away."

He closed his eyes.

"Yes."

"Every time I needed you."

"I know."

"Why?"

Daniel fought the temptation to give a comforting excuse.

Work.

Travel.

Responsibility.

Instead, he told the truth.

"After Mommy died, I didn't know how to live with how much I missed her. I kept working because being home reminded me she was gone."

Naomi looked up.

"But I missed her too."

The words almost broke him.

"I know, baby."

"You still had me."

Daniel pulled her closer.

"Yes. I did."

That evening, he called a licensed child therapist, Dr. Imani Brooks, who specialized in childhood trauma.

Dr. Brooks agreed to meet Naomi for an introductory appointment, emphasizing that Naomi would control the pace and would not be pressured to recount painful experiences.

Daniel also gave Rebecca the notebook's existence and asked how to preserve it appropriately.

Rebecca told him not to repeatedly question Naomi about its contents.

"Let the professionals do their work," she said. "Your job right now is to be her father."

When Daniel returned to the study, Monica was waiting with an urgent message.

"Vanessa has contacted three board members."

"About what?"

"She claims you're suffering a mental breakdown and misappropriating company money."

Daniel stared.

Monica continued.

"She's requesting an emergency meeting to discuss whether you're fit to remain chief executive."

The notebook was still in his hand.

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Vanessa had failed to control the child.

Now she was moving against the father.