I met Matt three years ago. He had twin daughters, Ella and Sophie, who were 5 at the time. I didn’t have parenting experience, but those girls quickly won me over. This year, Matt proposed, and we were planning our wedding when he suggested a vacation before all the wedding chaos. The first few days were perfect—sun-soaked afternoons, laughter by the pool, and stolen kisses under the stars. But on the third day, everything shattered.
Ella, Sophie, and I came back from the pool to find Matt’s suitcase—and every trace of him—gone. On the nightstand, a single note in his handwriting read: “I have to disappear. Soon, you’ll understand.” Panic gripped me. I had no answers, just two little girls and a flight home filled with questions. But nothing—nothing—prepared me for what was waiting in our living room when we walked through the door.