I carefully took each item: a dress, her hair ties, her favorite book. I cried, clutching them to my chest, as if it could bring me back to her, even if only for a moment.

Suddenly, a small folded piece of paper fell from one of the books. My heart leaped.

I opened it and recognized my daughter’s handwriting.

On the sheet of paper, it read: “Mom, if you read this, look under the bed urgently and you’ll understand everything.”

I read it several times, my hands trembling. I felt a knot in my chest. What could this possibly mean?

Gathering my strength, I knelt down and looked under the bed… and what I saw there left me in shock.

With trembling hands, I pulled an old bag out from under the bed. Inside were a few things: two notebooks, a small box containing odds and ends, and my daughter’s phone. The same phone my husband had said was “lost.” My heart pounded, overwhelmed by a feeling of sadness.

I turned on my phone; it was still working. The first thing I opened was Messenger. There I found a conversation with her friend.