Meanwhile, Ruby was healing. Slowly but surely, she was regaining her confidence. We spent the break together, just the two of us, filling our days with laughter and love. I made sure she knew how much she was cherished and that none of what happened was her fault.

One day, Ruby asked me, “Mommy, are they still mad at me?”

I knelt down to her level and held her hands. “No, sweetheart. They were wrong to be mad. And now they know it too.”