I heard the sound of little feet running down the stairs. But as soon as she saw Alex, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her face went pale, and she looked terrified.

“No! Mommy, please, no!” Emma screamed, tears streaming down her face. She ran to me, hiding behind my legs. “Don’t let him take me! Please, Mommy!”

“Daddy said he will! Daddy showed me pictures and told me to run if I ever see him!” Emma cried. I felt a surge of anger and confusion. Tom had done this? Why would he scare her like that?

“Emma, Daddy was wrong to say those things. Alex is not a bad man. He’s kind and he cares about us,” I said. Emma looked at me with wide, scared eyes. “But Daddy said…” “I know, sweetheart. But sometimes grown-ups make mistakes. Daddy made a mistake,” I reassured her.

As soon as Emma was settled in her room, I called Tom. “Tom, what on earth did you tell Emma about Alex?” I demanded. “I don’t trust that guy, Jess. He’s going to take you and Emma away from me.” “Tom, you had no right to scare her like that. You’ve lost your babysitting privileges.”

“It’s going to be a challenge, but we’ll get through it. We’re going to take it one step at a time, and we’ll do it together,” I said, feeling hopeful. “I’m with you, Jess. We’ll make this work,” Alex nodded.

With Alex by my side, I knew we could overcome this. We just had to be patient and strong for Emma.