I carried them.
We walked outside with her wearing socks on the cold pavement.
My hands were shaking too badly to tie her laces.
I put Sophie into the car.
Then I locked the doors.
Daniel followed us outside.
He knocked against my window.
“Amanda.”
I started the engine.
“Amanda, open the door.”
I reversed.
Judith appeared behind him.
She looked irritated rather than concerned.
That image stayed with me.
A grandmother watching her seven-year-old granddaughter leave the house terrified—and looking annoyed about the inconvenience.
I drove directly to my sister Rachel’s house.
The moment Rachel opened the door, Sophie ran into her arms.
Rachel looked at me.
“What happened?”
I couldn’t answer immediately.
I walked inside.
Then my knees gave way.
Rachel caught me before I reached the floor.
For nearly ten minutes, I cried harder than I had cried in years.
Then I told her everything.
