“Dad,” I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper. “I need you.”

There was a moment of silence, then a shift in his tone from casual to concerned. “Leah? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

I took a shaky breath and explained everything—the trip I was supposed to take, the way Mom had left me. There was a long pause on the other end of the line, a silence filled with the unspoken fury and heartbreak that only a parent can feel.

“I’m going to fix this,” he said, his voice suddenly sharp and decisive. “Stay where you are. I’m sending someone to get you right now.”