When Everything Shattered
Kevin never imagined he’d be the guy whose wife just disappeared.
But a week ago, that’s exactly what happened. And the worst part? He found out from his five-year-old daughter.
It was an ordinary Tuesday—nothing out of the ordinary. Emails, meetings, Taco Tuesday on the dinner menu, and his wife, Laurel, always made the best tacos.
But then his phone rang.
Normally, he would’ve ignored it, buried in work, but the caller ID stopped him. Home.
A chill ran down his spine. Laurel never called him at work unless something was wrong. She usually texted for small stuff like “Grab some bread” or “Let’s get waffles tonight.”
This time was different.
He answered the call.
“Hey, Laur,” Kevin said.
But instead of Laurel’s voice, he heard something small and fragile.
“Daddy?”
“Alice?” He jumped up from his chair, his heart racing. “What’s going on? Where’s Mom?”
“She left,” Alice said simply, her voice trembling.
Kevin’s heart stopped.
“What do you mean, she left? Alice?”
“She took her big suitcase… the one Buddy sleeps in. And she took some clothes.”
Alice sniffled, her cat Buddy meowing in the background.
“She hugged me really tight and told me to wait for you,” Alice continued.
Kevin’s hand tightened around the phone.
“Did Mom say where she was going?”
“No,” Alice’s voice wobbled. “Just that I should be a big girl.”
The air felt thick, heavy with an unknown weight.
“Stay right there, okay? Don’t go outside. I’m coming home now.”
Kevin barely remembered grabbing his keys or speeding down the road. His thoughts were racing. What had Laurel done?
He slammed the front door open and shouted, “Laurel!” His voice echoed through the empty house. The silence that followed was deafening. How could she just leave? How could she leave Alice?
Alice sat on the couch, still in her pajamas, hugging her stuffed rabbit. When she saw him, she rushed into his arms.
