I found her later crying behind the bathroom door, and when I asked what was wrong, my daughter said something she'd never said to me in her life.
"It's none of your business! Just leave me alone!"
I lay awake that night filling the silence with the worst story a mother can tell herself about a trusted man and her child.
By morning I'd decided. I rearranged my schedule, told no one, and drove the fifty minutes to the studio.
I looked through the glass at the girls at the barre.
Audrey wasn't among them.
I found her instructor, Ms. Alvarez, and said I'd come to surprise my daughter.
Her friendly expression vanished. She stepped to the classroom door and quietly closed it.
"Mrs. Bennett," she said, lowering her voice, "your daughter hasn't told you what's been happening, has she?"
Chapter 2: What the Instructor Knew
I want to tell you the truth about the four seconds after Ms. Alvarez asked me that question.
