My 10-year-old daughter always rushed to the bathroom as soon as she came home from school. When I asked, “Why do you always take a bath right away?” she smiled and said, “I just like to be clean.” However, one day while cleaning the drain, I found something. The moment I saw it, my whole body started trembling, and I immediately…

Now she acted like washing herself the second she got home was the most important thing in the world. Then one night, while cleaning the bathtub drain because the water had started backing up, I discovered something that made my stomach drop. I pulled out a thick clump of hair and grime, but tangled inside it were strips of fabric. I rinsed them under the faucet and immediately recognized the light blue plaid pattern. It matched Lily’s school uniform exactly. My hands started shaking. The cloth looked shredded, almost scrubbed apart. Then I noticed faint brown stains smeared across the material. My entire body went cold. It looked horrifyingly similar to dried blood.Panic flooded my mind. I tried convincing myself there had to be an innocent explanation. Maybe she had fallen at recess. Maybe she had torn her sleeve and tried to wash it secretly. But deep down, I knew something wasn’t right. The memory of her racing into the bathroom every day suddenly felt sinister. My breathing became shallow as I stared at the ruined fabric in my hands. I wanted to call someone immediately, but fear froze me in place. What if Lily was hiding something terrible? What if someone had hurt her? The silence inside the house felt unbearable as I waited for her to come home from school that afternoon.

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