MY HUSBAND STARTED TAKING OUR DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL — THEN I LEARNED WHERE HE WENT AFTER DROPPING HER OFF.
Adam and I had been together for 18 years, raising two kids in what I thought was a happy, stable home. He was a great father, but there were certain things he avoided—like morning school drop-offs. He hated traffic, hated the rush. So, for years, that had been my job.
Then, two months ago, everything changed.
“I think I’ll start taking Ellie to school in the mornings,” he said over dinner one night. “She’s growing up so fast. I want to spend more time with her before she doesn’t need us anymore.”
I was surprised but touched. This was the kind of thing good dads did, right? So, I let it go.
Until last Tuesday.
Ellie and I were making dinner together when she casually said, “Dad always stops somewhere before school. He leaves for like ten minutes.”
My hands froze over the cutting board. “What do you mean, sweetheart?”
“I don’t know. He just says to stay in the car, then he comes back. Sometimes, he looks really serious. Like he’s thinking about something really hard.”
A chill ran through me.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. My mind raced. Where was he going? Was it innocent? Or was it… something else?
The next morning, I followed him.
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Keeping a few cars behind, I watched as he turned into an empty parking lot.
I parked at a distance, heart pounding, watching as he got out of the car.
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He stood still for a moment, looking around. Then, he walked toward—