Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life novel Chapter 1974

Bentley was shaken by what he saw, but he managed to keep it together—way more than Lucy did.

Even though he was rattled, he didn’t let it show. He turned to Lucy, gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and gently guided her to a chair so she could pull herself together.

Lucy sat there for a long moment, struggling to catch her breath. It wasn’t until then that she finally noticed Amy lying on the floor. Her hand trembled as she pointed at her daughter. “Honey, Amy’s still there—we have to help her!”

Amy was the daughter they’d fought so hard to get back. The last thing Lucy wanted was to see her hurt again.

“Just take care of yourself first,” Bentley said with a frown, his tone edged with impatience. “She’s not going to die.” Even so, he listened to Lucy and went over to Amy, carefully helping her sit up.

That’s when he saw it: tiny shards of glass stuck in Amy’s face, her body covered in cuts and bruises. Bentley glanced at the broken antique vase on the ground, then gently shook Amy by the shoulders. When she didn’t respond, he pressed his fingers to the spot above her lip, trying to wake her up.

Slowly, Amy’s eyelids fluttered open, her vision foggy. For a second, she thought she was back in that dark, locked room. Ignoring the pain in her body, she curled up into herself, shaking like a scared little kid.

“Please don’t hit me. I’m sorry, I really am. I won’t sneak out again, I promise. I won’t steal food anymore,” she whispered, holding out half a pomegranate to Bentley with trembling hands, like she was desperate for forgiveness.

Even Bentley felt a pang in his chest. No matter what, she was still his daughter.

“No one’s going to hurt you,” he said, his voice softer this time. “Can you tell Daddy what happened?”

Bentley and Lucy exchanged a look—they knew exactly who “her” meant. Bentley quickly cleared the room until only the three of them were left.

“Amy,” Bentley said, “please, just tell us what happened.”

Amy’s eyes filled with fear, making her look so small and fragile.

“I bought some fruit on my way home. When I got back, she was sitting on the couch and told me to wash it for her. Before I even got a chance, she just snapped—started hitting me, shoved me into the vase. Everything went fuzzy after that. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was this loud explosion. Then…it all went dark.”