“My 76-Year-Old Grandpa Took Me Into the Woods Every Day and Made Me Undress Until I Was Half-Naked. But One Day, My Mother Secretly Followed Us and Heard Strange Screams Coming From Deep Inside the Forest. When She Got Closer and Saw What We Were Actually Doing, Her Heart Couldn’t Take It. She Fell to Her Knees and Burst Into Tears…”

So I shook my head.

“Nothing is wrong.”

My mother studied my face.

“Is this about your grandfather?”

I looked away too quickly.

She noticed.

“Emily, are you afraid of him?”

“No!” I answered immediately.

Then, after a pause, I whispered, “I just don’t want to disappoint him.”

Her expression changed.

“You could never disappoint me by telling me the truth.”

Tears filled my eyes.

“Mom, I don’t want to go into those woods anymore.”

She immediately took my hands.

“Then don’t go. You don’t owe anyone your fear or your silence. Not even your grandfather.”

“But I promised him I’d help.”

“Help him with what?”

I opened my mouth.

Nothing came out.

My mother pulled me into her arms, and I cried against her shoulder.

She didn’t demand an explanation. She simply held me until my breathing settled.

For the first time in weeks, I felt safe.

But the next morning, Grandpa called again.