Every part of me went on alert. I tiptoed closer, barely breathing, and peeked through the cracked door.
My little girl was holding her stuffed bear like a best friend, her tiny face all serious. She looked so grown-up in that moment, and it scared me.
I pushed the door open slow.
“Sweetheart,” I said soft, keeping calm, “what won’t Mommy find out?”
Her eyes got big. She hugged Teddy tighter, almost hiding behind him. “I… I can’t say. Daddy told me not to.” The whisper made my blood run cold.
Something inside me twisted, a mix of fear and anger. “Not to say what? Honey, you can tell me anything.”
She bit her lip, looking between me and the bear like she was picking sides. Then, in a tiny shaky voice, she whispered, “Daddy said if you knew, you’d leave us. I don’t want that!”
My throat closed up. The room blurred as I knelt down, trying to keep my voice steady. “Leave you? I will never leave you! Why would Daddy say that? What is it, sweetheart?”
Her next words turned my world upside down.
She leaned closer, her little hands shaking.
