When Laura goes to pick her daughter up from her Dad’s, she hears a piercing scream ring through the air. She entered a scene where her daughter was on the floor, and Katie, her stepmother, was standing above her, holding a broom. What has Laura walked into?

My husband, Noah, and I divorced a long time ago. Now, he is married to his new wife, Katie. We share a daughter, Lexie, so we’re still on good terms — trying to give her a childhood without drama.

The ebb and flow of co-parenting with my ex-husband had become a familiar rhythm — one week with me, followed by one week with him. To my relief, Katie had seamlessly woven herself into our daughter’s life. While a twinge of discomfort lingered, I understood her profound impact on our child’s well-being.

“Katie is going to be a second mother to Lex,” Noah said one day as he dropped our little girl off. “But she’s not a replacement mother.”

I was okay with it. I’d rather have Katie, who loved Noah and Lexie, in our lives than someone who just wanted Noah and nothing to do with his family.

Anyway, as Friday rolled around, signifying the end of Lexie’s week with Noah, I was ready to pick her up.

Approaching the front door, I prepared for the customary exchange of politeness, with Katie telling me about whatever recipe of mine she tried. I have to hand it to her, Katie is a great cook, and she tries to cook my recipes occasionally so Lexie can have “home food” when she’s there.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still awkward around Katie, and adjusting to having her in my daughter’s life has been tough, but we’re doing our best to make things easy on Lexie.

Walking up the front porch, deep in thought, I noticed that the door was slightly ajar and pushed it open further.

“Hello?” I called out.

But a piercing scream ran through the house before I could say anything else.

Lexie’s scream. I knew it instantly.

Panic grabbed a hold of me, propelling me inside without a second thought.

after rushing through the house, I found myself in the kitchen where Katie stood, looming with a broom above my daughter.

“Lexie?” I asked, unsure of what I was seeing. “What in the world is going on?!”

My initial reaction was to lash out at Katie, accusing her of harming my child — the scene had been right there before me. My daughter was on the floor, looking like she had been flung there, and her stepmother standing above her, holding a broom.

But just as the words formed on my lips, my gaze shifted to a sudden scurry of tiny feet in the corner of the room.

“It’s a rat!” Katie exclaimed, her eyes focused on the bin. “Lexie, jump up!”

Lexie sprung from the floor onto a chair.

“Mom!” Lexie shouted. “Hit it!”

Katie threw the boom to me while she grabbed a mop from next to where she was standing.