Daniel pulled his gray truck into the long driveway of his suburban home.
He had spent the last three grueling months working on an offshore oil rig.
Every single day away from his six-year-old daughter Lily had felt like a torture.
He gripped the steering wheel tight, feeling the exhaustion deep in his aching muscles.
The sun was high in the bright sky, shining over the neatly trimmed lawn.
He opened the front door and pushed inside, eager to wrap his arms around his child.
The house was deathly quiet, missing the usual sounds of cartoons and laughter.
His wife, Sarah, walked out of the kitchen with a strange, pale expression on her face.
Daniel: Hey Sarah, where is Lily hiding?
Sarah: Daniel, you should sit down first.
Daniel: What is going on? Is she sick?
Sarah: She is not here right now, Daniel.
Daniel dropped his heavy travel bag onto the hard hardwood floor with a thud.
A cold surge of deep anxiety swept straight through his chest.
He walked past her and took the stairs two at a time up to the nursery.
He pushed the bedroom door open, expecting to see pink pillows and colorful toys everywhere.
Instead, the room was completely bare, devoid of any clothes, bedding, or toys.
It looked like no child had lived in this space for months.
Daniel turned around slowly to face Sarah, who stood quietly in the hallway doorway.
Daniel: Sarah, where are all of Lily's things?
Sarah: I packed them all away, Daniel.
Daniel: Why on earth would you do that?
Sarah: She went missing three weeks ago, Daniel.
Daniel felt the air completely leave his lungs as he stared at his wife.
Daniel: You are lying to me, Sarah!
Sarah: The police said she ran away into the woods!
Daniel: Why didn't you call me immediately?
Sarah: Your rig had no signal, I was alone!
Daniel shook his head repeatedly, refusing to accept the awful words coming from her mouth.
He knew his little girl would never simply wander off into the dark woods alone.
Sarah stepped closer, placing a cool hand onto his shaking shoulder.
Sarah: We have to move on and accept the tragedy, Daniel.
Daniel: I will never accept this until I see her.