I Left Home to Buy a Toy for My Daughter’s Birthday – I Came Home to Silence and a Note That Changed Everything

**I Left Home to Buy a Toy for My Daughter’s Birthday – I Came Home to Silence and a Note That Changed Everything**

I thought it would be the easiest errand of the day.

It was a Saturday morning, the kind filled with small, ordinary moments that feel insignificant while you’re living them. My daughter was turning six in two days, and I had promised her a toy she’d been talking about nonstop—a silly, glittery thing with too many buttons and an obnoxious jingle. I told myself I’d be gone for no more than an hour.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, grabbing my keys.
She barely looked up from the floor where she was coloring.
“Okay, Daddy.”

Those were the last words I heard before everything changed.

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The Errand That Was Supposed to Mean Nothing

The drive to the store was uneventful. I remember being mildly annoyed by traffic, distracted by a radio ad, thinking about whether we’d have cake or cupcakes for the birthday party. Normal thoughts. Safe thoughts.

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