“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go home.”

“Are we going to the diner?”

I shake my head. “Not today. We’re going home to call Daddy.”

Her whole face lights up, and she jumps up and down on the spot.

“Thank you,” I call out to anyone who can hear me.

I’ve never been so relieved that the day is over as I buckle Melly into her seat and we set off home. Once we’ve FaceTimed Josh, I’ll be cooking some kind of comfort food to disappear into.

And attacking that basket of chocolate.

It took a while to get used to living in the middle of nowhere, but right now, I’m grateful for the peace. If I was in the city, there’d be reporters on my doorstep, and even though there’s no one waiting when I get home, I still drive straight into the garage, which I haven’t done since I moved here.

Melly skips from the garage into the house. At least she’s unaware of what’s going on. All she knows is that we’re about to call her father and that’s enough to keep her happy.

I hope her life continues to be like this.

Once I’m inside, I join her on the couch.

“Can we call Daddy now?” She’s so excited, and even as tired as I am, I muster a smile.

“We sure can. He’s waiting for us to call.”

I pull out my phone and FaceTime Josh.

It takes everything in me not to burst into tears at the sight of him.

“My girls.”

“Daddy, I just got home from school,” Melly says.

“Did you have a good day?”

She nods. “I had to go to the office for Mummy to pick me up. But the teacher said it was to keep me safe.”

His lips twitch. “That’s good then. My girl has to stay safe.”

“I miss you, Daddy.”

“I miss you, too. But I’ll be there soon. I promise.”

Leaving Melly with the phone, I head to the bathroom to splash water on my face. Between still feeling gross and the events of the day, all I want to do is curl up in bed with Josh. But he’s thousands of kilometres away.

Melly hands me the phone when I get back.

“Daddy wants to talk to you. I need to go to the toilet.”

I smile. “Okay. You go and do that.”

Her footsteps thud down the hall.

“Hey, beautiful,” Josh says. I smile at him. He scans my face. “You look tired.”

“I am tired. It’s been a really long day.”

“Tell me what’s going on.”

I let out a sigh. “I found out where the photos came from.”

“What? Where?”

I suck on my bottom lip, willing myself not to cry again. “Damon.”