She asked whether her father had gone away because she ate too much cereal.

She started hiding snacks in her bedroom in case the refrigerator ever went empty again.

I found her a child therapist who helped her understand that none of it was her fault.

Every Friday, Dad took her grocery shopping, handed her a short list, and let her pick one special breakfast for the weekend.

At first she always chose cereal — but she made sure to buy milk, too.

Chapter 13 — A Safe Place to Stand

I went back to full-time work, opened a new account at a different bank, and put fraud alerts on my credit.