Chapter 12 - Healing the ScarsTime is a miraculous healer, but deep emotional scars do not fade overnight.
During our first few weeks at the new house, Owen would still wake up screaming in the middle of the night, searching frantically for food out of fear of being starved. I placed a small bed inside my own master bedroom so I could comfort him instantly. Every time he woke up, I held him close, reminding him that the fridge was always full and I would never lock a door on him again.
Lily remained cautious and overly mature for her age. She had a habit of hoarding small snacks in her pockets or double-checking the door locks before going to bed.
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I enrolled both of them in specialized trauma therapy for child abuse survivors. Their therapist told me: "You cannot erase their past, Mark, but you can flood their future with so much love that the past no longer has the power to hurt them."
I took those words to heart. Every single day, I spent at least four hours painting, cooking, and reading with my children.
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