Her head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise, then delight. She scrambled to her feet, abandoning her tea party, and launched herself at me with a force that nearly knocked me over.

“Daddy!” she cried, burying her face in my chest.

I hugged her tightly, the familiar warmth of her small body melting away some of the tension I hadn’t realized I was holding. But then, as I stepped back to look at her, my heart skipped a beat.

Something wasn’t right. Her smile was there, as bright as ever, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. And there was something else—a stiffness in her movements, a shadow lurking in the back of her gaze.

“It’s been so long!” she said, her voice cheerful but slightly strained.

I knelt down, bringing us eye level. “Missed you so much, my little star. Did you have fun with Mom?”

She nodded, a little too quickly. “We went to the park, and I got to ride a pony!”

I smiled, but the knot in my stomach tightened. Her shirt sleeve had shifted, revealing a dark bruise on her upper arm. I reached out instinctively, gently pushing the fabric aside, and my breath caught in my throat.

The bruise was large and mottled, fading from a deep purple at its center to a sickly yellow around the edges. There were others, too, peeking from beneath her collar and at the hem of her shorts.

“Valentina, what happened?” I asked, my voice shaking despite my efforts to keep it steady.

Her gaze dropped, avoiding mine, and she shrugged, a nonchalant gesture that didn’t fit with the fear I saw flickering in her eyes. “I fell. You know, playing.”

My heart ached with a mix of fury and helplessness. “Are you sure, sweetheart?”

She nodded again, but I could see the wall she was building—a wall of secrets and fear.

I knew I had to tread carefully. I didn’t want to scare her, but every instinct screamed that something was terribly wrong.

I hugged her again, more gently this time, my mind racing with questions, doubts, and the terrifying realization that I might have failed to protect the most precious part of my life.

As the day wore on, I found myself replaying every interaction, every glance shared between Patricia and Valentina before my trip. The unease grew, and I knew I couldn’t ignore it. I had to uncover the truth, no matter how painful it might be. For Valentina’s sake, I needed to be her shield, her strength.

What I would discover would set me on a path I never imagined—a fight not just for justice, but for Valentina’s very life.