Parents left my 12-year-old daughter behind and went on a trip while I was away on a business trip.

Seattle's Autumn mornings always begin with a drizzle at a corner in downtown shaded by the Smith Tower the silver sign of Lindsay Wang's Law Office gleamed in the morning sun after a decade of independence from a major Law Firm Lindsay had built her own Fortress over 10 years at 43 Lindsay sat at her desk by the window on the 15th floor reviewing documents for a new litigation case her office walls were adorned with her Stanford law school diploma and numerous Awards including the Washington State women entrepreneur award beside these there was a family photo of her 12-year-old daughter Madison and her husband Thomas who was currently on a work assignment in Hong Kong in the sunlet photo the three of them were smiling happily Mizu Wang here are the documents for the 9:00 a. m. client meeting said Olivia her secretary bringing in perfectly organized documents her meticulous work had earned Lindsay's deep trust thank you by the way did you hear anything from Madison School yes they've changed the choir practice schedule I forwarded the email to you Lindsay checked the time it was only 8:15 a.

m. Madison would be on the school bus by then her smartphone chimed and as expected a message from Madison popped up Mom I got full marks on on my math test I've also memorized the song for the next concert perfectly so you must come to hear it Lindsay couldn't help but smile her daughter had inherited her intelligence and her father's kindness not to mention a talent for music as she typed her reply she thought of her husband in Hong Kong Thomas's assignment at a major Global it firm was set to continue for another 8 months his absence was lonely but nightly video calls kept the family bond strong congratulations Madison let's order your favorite Thai food tonight as a special treat I'll definitely be at the concert we'll show the video to Dad too balancing work and parenting was never easy however Lindsay Managed IT skillfully she always made sure they had breakfast together and she tried to get home early for dinner as much as possible on weekends they would watch movies or go jogging in the nearby green Lake Park with her husband away the bond between mother and daughter had only grown deeper Mizu Wang it's almost time for your meeting Olivia's voice brought Lindsay back to reality the dispute case with a major Construction Company would be a tough negotiation but that was what made it rewarding before entering the meeting room Lindsay noticed a message from her mother Debbie Lindsay about this month's rent Lindsay sighed Softly since her father's death her mother's financial situation had rapidly deteriorated her father had seemed a successful businessman but in reality he had been burdened with substantial debt the insurance money had vanished into debt repayment and Debbie started receiving threatening calls from creditors using her legal expertise Lindsay had begun legally protecting and financially supporting her mother this included paying for her luxury apartment rent and living expenses a duty she believed was hers as a daughter her support extended similarly to her sister Christen who had become a single mother after their parents' divorce Christen had been struggling with part-time jobs but covering her son's Education costs was beyond her means when Christine pleaded for Joseph's future Lindsay couldn't say no but now Lindsay needed to focus on the task at hand she decided to reply to the message later opening the conference room door Lindsay greeted everyone with her usual smile good morning everyone let's begin our discussion after the morning meeting Lindsay looked outside the drizzle had cleared up and unusually the sky was blue Madison would be in her favorite English class by then as she opened the door Olivia came in with new documents final checks for tomorrow's trial also Madison School contacted us again about the change in the date for next week's parent teacher meeting the sky was beginning to fill with rain clouds again Mizu Wang your mother is on the phone Olivia's voice brought Lindsay back to the present it was unusual for Debbie to call without waiting a day after sending a message calls from her mother were always about money I'm sorry I couldn't reply earlier because of work what's up Lindsay it's about the rent and also about Joseph's School trip expenses her mother's voice had no hint of hesitation Lindsay suppressed a deep sigh last week it was a new hobby the week before it was tutoring fees the demands seemed endless let me think about it I'll check the budget on the other end of the phone Lindsay could feel her mother's breath pause the old lindsy would have agreed immediately however lately she felt the need to reassess her financial support to her family particularly troubling were her mother Debbie and sister Kristen's Lifestyles their social media were frequently filled with pictures of luxury Brands and fine dining they depict Lifestyles that surely couldn't be supported by parttime incomes alone thinking of her daughter Madison's future Lindsay knew she couldn't continue the support indefinitely her husband Thomas had also expressed similar concerns during their recent video calls helping those you love is important but creating dependency is not good he had said after hanging up with her mother Lindsay opened her laptop she began drafting a message in reply to the email from her mother that she had set aside please let me reconsider the amount of money I send from next month I want to discuss this properly so please tell me a convenient day for you before hitting send Lindsay hesitated for a moment she wondered what impact this decision would have on her family relationships but it was a necessary decision after sending the email a call from her sister Kristen came through immediately why now anger was evident in her sister's voice think about Joseph's future let's talk about this calmly Kristen calmly christen's voice trembled you spare no expense for Madison's needs Lindsay was taken aback by those words indeed she wanted the best education for Madison but wasn't that a natural desire for any parent the conversation ended without resolution a week passed and the parent teacher meeting for Madison was approaching there was a knock at the office door and Olivia entered here are the final preparations for your business trip tomorrow you have a morning flight thank you Lindsay interrupted call my mother check if she can take Madison tomorrow normally Lindsay would avoid leaving her daughter with her mother but the next day's trial was critical and she had no other choice plus she was concerned about her mother since telling her about the reduction in support she hadn't heard anything from her while Kristen had called angrily her mother's silence was unnerving Olivia returned your mother said of course Joseph will be there too so they can play together Lindsay felt uneasy about the quick affirmation usually her mother would have more excuses for such requests she might claim she was feeling ill or had plans with friends but there was an important trial the following day the trip was unavoidable if Madison was to be left with anyone her grandmother's house was the best option yet deep down a sense of unease grew during dinner with Madison Lindsay asked her daughter is it okay for you to stay at Grandma's tomorrow you can play with Joseph yeah Madison hesitated then added but lately Joseph has been avoiding me Lindsay listened closely to her daughter's words Joseph's change in Behavior christen's irritation her mother's unnaturally quick agreement to take Madison all these hinted at something ominous yet unable to Define her for boating time passed the next day in the car to the airport Lindsay recalled her parting words to her daughter promise me Madison if anything happens call me right away I know Mom it'll be fine Madison responded with her usual Bright Smile Lindsay left her daughter in her mother's care watching her wave goodbye in the rearview mirror somehow the sight lingered in her mind Seattle Tacoma International Airport was busy with the morning Rush After boarding Lindsay reviewed her documents for the trial the dispute with the major construction company was a pivotal case for her Law Firm she tried to focus but couldn't settle down ladies and gentlemen we will be taking off shortly the flight attendance announcement echoed in the cabin before turning off her cell phone Lindsay checked for messages one last time time there was nothing from Madison from Debbie as well it should have been a normal occurrence yet Lindsay couldn't shake the feeling of unease the court session was proceeding smoothly Lindsay's arguments were precise and she was overwhelming the opposing Council soon after the session was adjourned her cell phone suddenly vibrated it was from Madison mom with just that one word Lindsay instinctively knew something terribly wrong had happened what's wrong Madison grandma and the others they left without me Madison's voice was trembling Lindsay felt the blood drain from her face what do you mean explain it to me in detail I was playing in the yard and then everyone got in the car and left Joseph grandma and Aunt Kristen haven't come back Lindsay's hands trembled where are you now at Grandma house what should I do stay right there I'm going to call the police immediately right after hanging up Lindsay called her mother Debbie the phone rang several times when it finally connected her mother's voice was unnervingly calm I'm about to board a plane with that she hung up abruptly anger boiled inside Lindsay she immediately reported it to the police she explained that her 12 year-old daughter had been intentionally abandoned by her grandmother and aunt she also contacted her office staff to prepare for any necessary legal proceedings Olivia prepare the paperwork for a restraining order and hurry up the procedures to stop all transfers to my mother and Christine's bank accounts yes I'll get on it right away while booking the next flight back to Seattle Lindsay called Madison again Madison a police car is on its way there I'll be back as soon as I can okay Madison's voice sounded like she was about to cry Mom I'm scared it's okay you haven't done anything wrong I'll be there soon after hanging up Lindsay struggled to control her emotions why would her mother and sister do such a thing abandoning a 12-year-old child like that was clear child neglect throughout her journey to the airport Lindsay kept in touch with the police police she was informed that a patrol car had arrived at the scene and Madison was safely secured the security camera at her mother's house showed Debbie and Christen laughing as they got into the car this was no accident it was a deliberate act on the plane back to Seattle Lindsay's hands trembled as she took notes in her notebook timelines evidence necessary legal steps she couldn't let her emotions get the better of her she had to handle this calmly as a lawyer should when she arrived at her mother's house Madison was with a police officer the moment Lindsay saw her daughter she nearly let all her emotions overflow mom Madison ran towards her crying Lindsay hugged her daughter tightly she could feel her small body shaking you did really well it's all okay now a police officer approached them we've reviewed the footage from the the security camera it clearly shows a premeditated act would you like to file a complaint Lindsay paused for a moment then resolved herself yes and I will also apply for a restraining order at that moment Lindsay's cell phone rang it was from her mother she rejected the call protecting her daughter was her top priority now on the way home Madison began to slowly recount what had happened Joseph suddenly became cold to me and then when I was playing alone in the garden I heard the sound of the lock and everyone was gone Lindsay listened to her daughter while piecing together the events the change in behavior of her mother and Christine since she had informed them of the Support Review Joseph's Behavior and the events of today everything was connected Debbie had used Madison to intimidate Lindsay and coers her into continuing her support and Christine saw it as an opportunity to vent her jealousy towards her successful sister upon arriving home Lindsay immediately contacted her office Olivia cancel all appointments starting tomorrow and arrange for a psychologist appointment for Madison that day marked a significant change in their family's relationships but it was an unavoidable Choice Lindsay had to protect her daughter and put an end to the distorted family Dynamics a heavy atmosphere hung in Lindsay's office conference room documents were neatly arranged on the table screenshots from the security camera the initial police report the application for a restraining order everything testified to the gravity of the previous day's events Mizu Wang your mother has called Olivia quietly informed her it's the 10th call this morning log the calls but no need to respond the video call with her husb husband Thomas in Hong Kong had been completed early in the morning he had offered to return immediately but Lindsay declined she wanted to avoid emotional decisions everything needed to be handled legally and definitively the offices Consulting attorney Wayne Harrison entered a longtime friend he had come immediately upon hearing about the situation I've reviewed all the documents the restraining order will undoubtedly be issued the issue is what comes next Lindsay nodded silently I've already started the process to completely stop the financial support that's a wise decision Wayne continued while reviewing the documents but we need to consider their reaction especially the possibility of defamation in public at that moment Lindsay's smartphone vibrated it was a message from her mother via an SNS account she hadn't checked in a long time why did you call the police police it's a Family Matter Madison wasn't in any danger it was just a lesson Lindsay's hands shook a lesson leaving a 12-year-old child behind is a lesson there was a twisted intent to make Lindsay and Madison realize their vulnerability don't get emotional Wayne quietly advised they will certainly try to use your reaction against you he was right Lindsay took a deep breath and calmed herself her over 20 years of experience as a lawyer was being tested did you manage to get an appointment for Madison's psychological counseling Lindsay asked Olivia yes tomorrow at 300 p. m.