But small details began to feel wrong. She never asked for snacks anymore. She stopped telling me stories about her friends. Even on rainy days when recess was indoors, the routine didn’t change. Straight to the bathroom. Every time. No exceptions.
One evening while cooking dinner, I asked casually, “Chloe, why do you always shower right when you get home?”
She paused in the hallway, turning toward me with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I just like feeling clean,” she said softly.
The answer lingered in my mind long after she closed the door. Chloe wasn’t a rehearsed child. She stumbled over words, forgot explanations, and usually answered questions with dramatic stories. But that sentence sounded practiced, almost defensive.
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