ââ¦and⦠and thatâs when I went to live with her,â Lucia sobbed.
Her body trembled as I held her in my arms.
She had cried non-stop for ten minutes. After that, she was barely able to get out the details of what had happened when she was six years old.
And as she told meâ¦
My heart broke for her.
It shattered into a thousand pieces, and I knew I would never be able to put it back together.
I didnât cry. I havenât cried in years, not since I was a teenager and my mother diedâ¦
But the room was blurry as I rocked her in my arms.
âIâm sorry, Lucia,â I whispered, and I kissed her forehead. âIâm sorry.â
She pushed herself away from my chest. At first I thought it was because she didnât want me to hold her any longer â
But instead it was so she could look me in the eye.
âD-donât leave me,â she whispered in a shaky voice.
âI wonât,â I promised.
âP-please donât ever leave me,â she begged â
Then she burst into tears again.
I pulled her in close to my chest and whispered in her ear, âI wonât. Iâm here â Iâll always be here. I swear I wonât ever leave you.â
She finally cried herself out. When there were no more tears, she fell asleep in my armsâ¦
Her face as innocent and angelic as a little girl.
A little girl who had lost so much.
I kept on rocking her, unwilling to let go.
I made an oath to myself at that moment.
I would never let my guard down again.
I would never fail her like I had todayâ¦
And I would keep her safe.
Forever.
No matter what.