I felt a knot of worry tighten in my stomach. “What’s the matter, Mrs. Thompson?” I asked. She sighed softly on the other end. “Today, we had the kids draw pictures of their families. Lily drew just three people: you, herself, and her big brother Liam. When I asked her where her dad was, she clammed up and wouldn’t say a word.”My heart sank. I glanced at Lily, who was playing with her toys on the carpet. Her little face looked so innocent and happy. “Oh, I see,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “Well, her dad hasn’t been around much lately. We’ve been going through a bit of a tough time.”“I understand, Heather.

It’s just that Lily seemed so closed off when I asked her. I thought maybe there was something more going on.”I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “Thanks for letting me know, Mrs. Thompson. I’ll talk to Lily about it.” “Of course, Heather. If you need any support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Lily is a wonderful girl, and we want to make sure she’s doing okay.”An elderly woman on a phone call | Source: Pexels “Thank you,” I said, feeling a mix of gratitude and worry. “I’ll take care of it.” As I hung up the phone, I looked at Lily again. She smiled at me, holding up one of her dolls. “Look, Mommy! She’s wearing a pretty dress!” I forced a smile. “She sure is, sweetheart,” I said.A little girl playing with a doll | Source:

Pexels I needed to find a way to talk to Lily about her dad without making her feel upset. I took a deep breath. “Sweetheart, why didn’t you draw Daddy in kindergarten? Did he do something to upset you?” I asked, trying to sound as gentle as possible. Lily looked up at me, her big eyes filled with hesitation. “I can’t tell you, Mommy.”I knelt down beside her. “Why, honey? You can tell your mom anything.” She hesitated, biting her lip. Finally, she said, “Okay, I’ll show you, Mommy,” and took my hand. She led me to a corner of the garage, pushing aside some old boxes. From behind them, she pulled out an old, dusty scrapbook and handed it to me with a solemn look. “Look inside, Mommy.”A sad girl child holding a photo album | Source: Pexels I opened the scrapbook, my hands trembling slightly. It was filled with photos and drawings, a mix of happy moments and innocent doodles. But one page stopped me cold. It was a picture of a man who looked strikingly like my husband but with subtle differences. He was standing with a woman and two children, none of whom I recognized.A kid removing photos from a book with an adult sitting beside them | Source: