“Come on.”

“Where?”

“I’m teaching you makeup.”

Reese’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

Kayla smiled.

“Really.”

They disappeared upstairs together.

David came to stand beside me.

“I used to think the worst thing that happened that morning was her losing her hair.”

“So did I.”

He looked toward the hallway.

“But she lost something worse.”

“What?”

“Her belief that the adults around her would keep her safe.”

I squeezed his hand.

“She’s getting some of it back.”

“How?”

I smiled.

“Because now we listen.”

A second later, Reese started laughing upstairs.

Then Kayla yelled,

“Mom! Reese put glitter everywhere!”

I closed my eyes.

David laughed.

Then Reese shouted,

“It’s for prom!”

Kayla screamed back,

“PROM IS OVER!”

And for the first time in weeks, I laughed so hard I had to hold onto the railing.