I was in the middle of giving a client presentation in Phoenix when my phone started vibrating again and again on the conference table.

I ignored the first call, then the second, but when I saw my daughter Emma’s name appear for the third time, a cold feeling ran through me.

I excused myself, stepped into the hallway of the hotel, and answered.

At first there was only silence and quiet breathing. Then Emma spoke in a voice so small I barely recognized it.

“Mom… Grandpa and Grandma told me to leave.”

I stopped walking. “What do you mean?”