“No, that’s it,” she replied, her tone still sweet but carrying an undertone of something else; fear? Uncertainty? I couldn’t be sure, but I knew one thing: I had to get her out of there.
“I’ll see you soon, okay?” I said as nonchalantly as possible.
“Okay, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too, my Amy Wamy.”
I heard her giggle as I hung up the phone, my hands trembling. My mind raced as I tried to figure out what could have happened. Dave had never given me any reason to doubt his ability to care for our daughter, but something was wrong.
I grabbed my keys, my mind made up. I had to go to my ex’s place and get Amy.
When I finally arrived, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. To my surprise, it wasn’t Dave who answered, but a woman I didn’t recognize. She looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. “Can I help you?” she asked, her tone clipped.
“I’m here to pick up my daughter,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice steady. “Is Dave home?”
“He’s just gone out to run some quick errands,” she replied, crossing her arms. “But Amy’s inside. Who are you?”
“I’m Claire, Amy’s mom,” I said, my patience wearing thin. “And you are?”
The woman’s expression didn’t soften. “I’m Lisa. Dave’s girlfriend. We’ve been living together for a few weeks now.”
I blinked, taken aback. Dave had never mentioned that he had a girlfriend, let alone that she had moved in. Why hadn’t Amy said anything about this before? But now wasn’t the time for questions. I needed to get my daughter out of there.
“Well, Lisa, I just remembered that Amy has a doctor’s appointment early in the morning, and there are some things we need to go through before then,” I lied, forcing a smile. “I forgot to mention it to Dave. I’m just going to take her, and I’ll bring her back later.”
Lisa didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t argue either. “Fine, but I’ll let Dave know.”
“Of course,” I said, stepping past her into the house. Amy was sitting on the couch, her small frame curled up as she colored in a book. When she saw me, her face lit up, but I could see the relief in her eyes.
“Hi, sweetie,” I said, trying to keep things light. “We need to go to prepare for the doctor tomorrow, remember?”
Amy nodded and stood up, clutching her book to her chest. She didn’t say a word as she followed me out of the house. Lisa watched us go, her eyes narrowing, but she didn’t stop us.
Once we were in the car and driving away, I glanced over at my daughter. “You okay, baby?” I asked gently. At first, Amy nodded, but then, as the tension of the situation melted away, she began to cry.