Daniel parked his truck near the curb in front of his two-story house.
He had spent three long weeks away on a military work assignment in Texas.
Every single evening during his trip, he called home to check on his nine-year-old daughter Maya.
His new wife Rachel always answered the telephone with a bright and friendly voice.
She kept telling him that Maya was doing great and studying hard for school.
Yet whenever Maya spoke to him, her voice sounded small, hesitant, and very quiet.
Daniel knew his sweet daughter was naturally shy around new people.
He assumed she was simply missing him while he was away on his trip.
Still, a strange feeling of worry stayed in the back of his mind for days.
He decided to shorten his work trip by two whole days without telling anyone.
He wanted to surprise Maya with a brand new painting set from the store.
He unfastened his seatbelt, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the warm afternoon sunshine.
The quiet suburban neighborhood seemed peaceful, clean, and completely normal.
American flags hung neatly from several front porches along the green street.
Daniel walked up his paved front walkway with quick and eager steps.
He held a large gift box wrapped in bright blue paper under his left arm.
As he reached the front porch, he heard harsh shouting coming from inside the living room.
The loud voice belonged to Rachel, and she sounded extremely angry.
Daniel unlocked the heavy wooden door with his key and pushed it open quietly.
He stepped into the bright hallway and saw a scene that made his heart freeze instantly.
Rachel stood near the middle of the room with an angry face.
She was yelling loudly at Maya, who was cornered near the wooden staircase.
Maya was shaking with fear, holding her small hands tightly over her ears.
Rachel: You will clean up this entire room before your father gets back!
Maya: I did not break the vase, Rachel! It fell off the shelf by itself!
Rachel: Do not talk back to me, you ungrateful little girl!
Daniel: What is going on in this house right now?
Rachel turned around instantly, her face turning completely pale with total surprise.
Maya looked up with wide tearful eyes and ran straight toward her father.
Daniel dropped his wrapped gift box on the floor and caught his weeping daughter in a tight hug.
He could feel her entire small body shaking uncontrollably against his chest.
He looked straight into Rachel's eyes with deep anger and disbelief.
The peaceful home he thought he had built was suddenly falling apart around him.