MY DAUGHTER AND I HAVE A “CODE WORD” — WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY IS WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE ONE WITH YOUR LOVED ONES TOO.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to speak calmly. “That sounds great, honey. I’m on my way to come get you. Please don’t say anything to your father. I’ll talk to him when I get there.”

“Did you have anything else you wanted to tell me?” I asked.

“No, that’s it,” she replied, still sounding sweet but with an undertone I recognized—fear, uncertainty, or something close to it. Whatever it was, I knew I had to get her out.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay, Mom. Love you.”

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