The Call That Changed Everything

At 3 a.m. my phone was a lighthouse in the dark—eighteen missed calls from my daughter and a single text: Mom, help me! She lives alone. Seven months pregnant. I was in the car before the panic had words. Four blocks blurred by, every red light a personal insult. When she opened the door, hair mussed, robe tied haphazardly over her round belly, her face was a map of sleep. “Mom? What are you doing here?” “You called me.” I held up the screen with shaking hands. She blinked. “No, I didn’t. I was asleep.” Right there, while our breath… CONTINUE READING…