Her eyes were shiny and red — she had clearly been crying recently.

“Sweetheart, what happened?” I immediately crouched down in front of her. “Why are you standing here? And why do you have a suitcase?”

She took a deep breath, as if she were about to tell me something very serious.

“Daddy…” she said in a trembling voice. “I’m leaving this house.”

My heart dropped.

“You… what? Where are you going? Why? Did something happen?”

She frowned, and her lip began to tremble.

“I can’t live here anymore!” she said so dramatically it sounded like she had rehearsed it in front of the mirror.