“She took her suitcase. She hugged me and said, ‘Wait for Daddy.’”

I felt my stomach drop as if it had been punched from behind. The words repeated in my mind like a cruel mantra. Without wasting a second, I bolted out of the office, my mind reeling and my heart pounding in my ears. I jumped into my car and drove home as if propelled by pure panic.

The Homecoming of Silence

When I finally pulled into our driveway, every second felt like an eternity. I raced through the front door, calling out for Laurel, but the house was eerily silent. Every room I entered, I found nothing out of place—except the cold, heavy emptiness that now defined our home.

I rushed to the living room, where I found Alice curled up on the couch, her tiny body tucked beneath a blanket as she slept soundlessly. The innocence of her slumber made my heart ache even more. When she finally woke up, her first question was as innocent as it was devastating: “Daddy, where’s Mommy?”

I had no answer. I looked around, desperate for any sign of her, until my eyes landed on a white envelope sitting on the kitchen counter. My hands trembled as I reached for it, each second stretching on as I tore open the envelope with mounting dread.

Inside, I found a note addressed simply to “Kevin.” The handwriting was neat, but the message inside was anything but comforting:

“Kevin, I can’t live like this anymore. By the time you read this, I’ll be gone. But you’ll find out what happened to me in a week.”

I read it three times, each pass through the words deepening the pain and confusion. Laurel had left us—without warning, without explanation. A cold emptiness settled over me as I tried to process what this meant. How could she vanish like this? Why would she leave with her things and entrust our daughter with such a cryptic message?

The Descent Into Despair

That week, every hour felt like a lifetime. I found myself caught in a vortex of despair, oscillating between frantic worry for Laurel’s safety and a gnawing dread about the future. Work became a blur—I couldn’t concentrate on numbers, meetings, or deadlines. Every quiet moment was punctuated by memories of Laurel’s warm smile and the promises we had made to one another.

I spent restless nights pacing our home, re-reading the note, and trying to decipher any hidden meaning within its brief, impersonal words. What did she mean by “find out what happened to me”? Was this some kind of premonition? And how was I supposed to “find out” something when she wasn’t here to tell me?

Alice, though only five years old, seemed to sense the tension. Her eyes, usually bright and curious, were now clouded with a mix of confusion and fear. Each time I tried to reassure her, I felt my own words betray me. How could I comfort a child when I was drowning in uncertainty and pain?