I reached for my glasses, knocking a book to the floor in the process, and answered as soon as I saw the name.

Daisy.

My granddaughter.

“Daisy, sweetheart, what’s going on?” I asked, my heart already racing.

At first, all I heard was her breathing—uneven, fragile, like she was holding herself together.

“Grandpa…” she whispered.

That single word carried more weight than anything else.

“I’m here. Tell me what happened,” I said, getting out of bed.

She took a shaky breath and told me she was alone.

For a moment, I thought I had misunderstood.

“Who left you?” I asked carefully.

“Dad… Amber… and Toby went to Orlando,” she said, her voice breaking.

The silence that followed felt suffocating.

“No one is there with you?” I pressed.

“No… I’m by myself,” she replied quietly. “Mrs. Gable said I could go next door if I needed help… but they left last night.”

I sat down, trying to process what she was saying.

“They left you alone? And took Toby with them?”

“They said I had school soon… but Toby didn’t have to go,” she whispered.

My jaw tightened.

“Grandpa… why didn’t they take me too?”