Mr. Frederick was discharged not long after, his recovery surprisingly swift.
Fay's case, however, moved in a different direction.
After several psychiatric evaluations, the assault was officially recorded as the result of a severe emotional episode rather than deliberate intent.
Quietly, the case was withdrawn.
Dominic handled everything, it was as though the entire incident had been carefully folded away.
Fay was transferred to a private psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of the city, a place known for its discretion.
Fay, however, refused to accept the diagnosis.
"I am not sick!" she would cry.
"You have to let me go, my daughter is in danger!"
The first days were the hardest
She fought the nurses.
Refused medication.
Demanded to leave.
Twice she attempted to escape slipping into the corridor before attendants intercepted her.
But after that, she was placed under close observation.
Sedatives followed.
They dulled her strength.
Days later, the family visited, appearing supportive to outsiders.
Their faces arranged into masks of concern, just enough to preserve the image of a caring family.
But Fay saw through the performance.
And strongly refused to see them before they could even step fully into her room.
Only Mable was permitted to stay who she exchange a few words with, once.
And Elena, true to her word, brought Sally to visit.
By then, the medication had begun its slow work.
The woman lying on the hospital bed looked painfully different from the mother Sally remembered. Fay seemed smaller, her face pale, her movements sluggish as if every gesture required effort.
Fay grasped her small hand tightly, as though afraid the child might vanish if she loosened her hold. Tears slipped silently from the corners of her eyes, disappearing into the pillow.
"My baby… Mommy is here," she whispered.
Sally held onto her just as tightly. The sharp medicinal smell in the room, the weakness in her mother's voice, it all frightened her.
For a fleeting second, the image of Ray on his deathbed flashed through her mind.
Her fingers tightened around Fay's.
"Mommy… are you going to sleep too?" she asked softly, her voice trembling.
Fay's breath caught.
"No… no, Mommy is just tired," she murmured, though even speaking seemed to drain her.
She lifted a trembling hand to stroke Sally's hair, but her arm fell back halfway, lacking the strength to continue.
Helplessness filled her eyes.
At the foot of the bed, Elena watched quietly, her expression unreadable.
After a while, a nurse gently reminded them that the visit had to end.
Fay's grip tightened instantly.
For a brief moment, panic flashed across her face
But the medication weighed heavily on her body.
"Sally…" she whispered weakly. "Be a good girl…" I'll surely come to take you soon.
The words scraped against her throat.
Sally nodded meekly.
As Elena led her away, Sally looked back again and again until the doorway swallowed her mother from sight.
On the bed, Fay stared at the empty space where her daughter had stood.
And for the first time since arriving at the hospital…
She looked truly afraid.
...
Back at home, Sally was unusually quiet. Sensing how heavy the visit had been on the child, Elena decided to take her out for a walk.
They passed through a lively street, children ran past them, their laughter bright as soap bubbles floated into the afternoon air. The laughter around them blended with the distant melody from an ice cream truck, and a gentle breeze brushed against Elena's skin, making her inhale deeply. For a moment, she felt refreshed.
But Sally did not seem to notice any of it.
Her small hand rested limply in Elena's until she suddenly stopped walking, the slight tug forcing Elena to halt as well.
She stood there, head lowered, her shoulders small.
Seeing the girl's lingering gloom, Elena turned and knelt in front of her.
"Is there anything Auntie can do to make you feel better?" she asked softly, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.
Sally's eyes shimmered as she fought back tears. "Aunt Elena… will Mommy be okay? What can Sally do to make Mommy okay?" Her voice came out small.
Elena's chest tightened, but she kept her expression warm.
"Mommy will be fine. She's in a place where people will take very good care of her, alright?" She paused, choosing her next words carefully. "All you have to do is stay with Auntie, go to school, and be a good girl. That way Mommy will be proud of you, and she'll get stronger faster."
Sally blinked.
Then slowly, a faint spark returned to Sally's face. She nodded, a fragile smile forming.
"I'll go to school and win lots of prizes so Mommy will be happy… and then she'll get better and come take me home."
Elena froze for a brief second at those words, her heart quietly aching, but she said nothing.
Instead, she rose to her feet and clapped her hands lightly.
"Well then!" she announced, injecting playful energy into her voice. "Who wants ice cream?"
Sally hesitated.
Then slowly raised her hand.
"…Me."
Elena grinned. "Only me? Not ME! like an excited little girl?"
A faint smile tugged at Sally's lips.
"…ME!"
"That's better."
A small laugh escaped her, the first one since the hospital.
Their laughter finally mingled with the joyful noise around them as they continued down the street.
...
Months passed quietly, and life began to settle into a new normal.
Dominic and Mr. Frederick's partnership finally started in full once the land officially became Frederick's. Their plans moving forward smoothly.
What had once been a source of tension was now spoken of as a great achievement.
The family stood firmly behind Dominic. One after another, they voiced their support, praising his foresight and determination. If anyone still held doubts about how things had unfolded, they kept it to themselves. To them, Dominic had secured a future not just for himself, but for the family as a whole.
At home.
Elena's wish was fulfilled,
Sally was enrolled in one of the best schools in town, If the child was going to stay with her, she deserved the best, a decision Dominic agreed to without much hesitation.
Slowly, Sally adjusted both at home and school.
And soon, her teachers began sending compliments home.
"She is very bright."
"A quick learner."
Yet, she never stopped asking.
" Aunt Elena… when will we go see Mommy?"
Each time, Elena answered gently,
"Mommy needs time to heal, sweetheart. The doctors are taking good care of her. We shouldn't disturb her too often."
And Sally, trusting as always, would nod.
Days turned into weeks, and the visits that were meant to happen "soon" were quietly postponed again and again, until they were no longer spoken about as plans, but as something for the later future.
Elena told herself it was for the child's sake. Sally was finally becoming stable afterall.
Dominic, meanwhile, had grown busier than ever.
Not all of it seemed tied to the new project.
Once or twice, Elena noticed the seriousness in his expression, the kind that suggested he's up to something.
She noticed… but chose silence.
She knew, sometimes Dominic was capable of making hard decisions, even walking paths one should avoid. Yet she also believed that everything he did was to protect what they were building, their home, their future, their stability. He made difficult choices only for the greater good.
Six months later, Fay died.
The hospital listed the cause as complications from severe, prolonged depression, her mind and body worn down by grief and despair, until they could no longer hold on.
At the funeral, every member of the family attended, their faces carefully composed.
Sally, in a black knee-length dress, stood at the front, her eyes swollen and red from crying. Elena stood behind her, hands resting gently on the girl's shoulders. And just like that, Fay was buried.
Weeks later, Becky returned, hoping to see Fay, only to find the house empty.
And then the news came. Piece by piece, whispered by neighbors, Fay was dead.
The words hit Becky like ice. Disbelief and guilt pressed down on her chest. She could not even cry. "I should have insisted… I should have dragged her with me… maybe then…maybe..." gnawed at her.
Desperate to protect what remained, she approached Dominic and Elena, pleading to take Sally with her. Elena refused firmly, and the extended family supported her decision. Sally would remain in Dominic's care. Afterall, she was in no way related to Becky.
Becky's frustration boiled over. She looked at each face in turn, with anger and sorrow "Mark my words," she said, her voice low and sharp, "what you've done to Fay… it will catch up to you." But words alone could not bend reality. She had to leave Sally with the people who had destroyed her family
Broken, with no other choice, she left Sally behind, her heart heavy. Turning away, she whispered to herself, "I will always check on you, Sally. Always."