Raising Avery became the center of my world. I adjusted my work schedule, attended every school event, and built the consistent home she needed. She grew into a sharp-witted, determined teenager with a sense of humor that matched mine. While I didn’t date much through the years, life eventually introduced me to someone new — Marisa, a nurse practitioner I worked with. She was kind, steady, and made an effort to support Avery. After months of dating, I believed I might be ready to build a future with her. I even bought a ring. Then one evening, Marisa appeared distressed and showed me security footage of someone in a gray hoodie entering my room and accessing my safe. She insisted the person was Avery and warned me that my daughter was “hiding something.” The idea alone rattled me, but when I asked Avery quietly and calmly about it, she explained that her gray hoodie had been missing for days.
