Part 1: The Day Trust Was Broken

so hard I could hear it in my ears.

“What do you mean she’s missing?”

“We were teaching her independence,” she replied. “A little lesson. She wandered off.”

My voice cracked. “You left her alone?”

Victoria’s voice chimed in, light and dismissive. “Kids need to learn. She panicked too quickly. That’s not our fault.”

I don’t remember grabbing my keys. I don’t continue reading …