My daughter, Jane, came running over, but her small arms froze halfway as she saw my appearance.
"Daddy, what happened? Did you fall?"
My heart clenched painfully.
I crouched down and pulled her into my arms, holding her tiny frame as if she was the only thing keeping me standing.
Hearing her, my mom hurried out of the bathroom, leaving behind the toy she'd been playing with. She came back with a damp towel in hand and pressed it toward me.
"Didn't you go to eat with Abigail? How did you end up like this?"
My chest ached, but I forced a smile. "Tripped on the way back, that's all."
Once I had cleaned myself up, she pulled me aside and lowered her voice.
"About Abigail's mother... what exactly is she planning to do?"
The memory of Abigail's words before she left weighed on me like lead.
I struggled to find an answer.
"She... she says she's going to sue," I choked out.
"Let her," my mother replied. "If that's what she chooses, then fine—she must give justice to what happened to her mother."
Sighing, she rummaged in her pocket, and pressed a bank card into my hand.