We Ate Our Daughter

Thanksgiving.

The smell of roast turkey usually fills me with warmth, but not this year.

My seven-year-old daughter, Lily, wasn't at the table. She was supposedly at my sister-in-law Jess' s mother' s house for a spontaneous sleepover with Jess' s son, Kyle - a plan that immediately set my maternal alarms ringing.

My husband, Mark, dismissed my concerns, utterly captivated by the pumpkin pie Jess brought.

My unease festered, especially after Mark' s tender whisper in his sleep: "Jess… oh, Jess…"

The affair was real.