Hope sits next to her fireplace, enjoying a glass of wine after a hard week at work. She revels in the quiet of her home, a huge contrast from the bustling office she spends most of her time at. This valued silence is broken by a knock at her front door.
She can't imagine who's come to see her at this hour. It's nearly 9 o'clock on a Friday night. She decides to ignore it, feeling like she's earned one night of peace to herself.
But then there's another knock. And a few minutes later more knocking.
Hope eventually relents and gets up to answer it.
A young girl is at her doorstep with puffy red eyes. She's in nothing but a t-shirt and pajama pants despite the brisk fall air.
"Hello?" Hope opens the door with furrowed eyebrows. "Are you lost?"
"Um... no," the girl seems shy. "I need help."
"Help?" Hope asks concerned. "Do you want to come inside and I'll see what I can do for you?"
The girl has her arms wrapped around herself and is clearly shivering from the cold.
"Yes, please," the girl steps inside.
It's only then that Hope notices that the girl's feet are bare and her left foot has blood on it.
"Oh my goodness," Hope gasps at the sight. "You hurt your foot?"
The girl looks down and shrugs, seemingly unbothered by it.
"I stepped on some glass," she explains.
She tells the girl to sit by the fireplace and offers her a blanket while she gets her first aid kit. Hope returns and starts cleaning the wound.
"Can you tell me your name?" Hope asks as she works.
"It's Olivia."
"That's a beautiful name," Hope compliments. "What were you doing out there all alone, Olivia?"
"I ran away from home," the girl has a sullen expression. "My mom told me to."
At that, Hope's blood boils. She would give anything to be able to spend time with her parents again. And to hear a mother willingly push her child away fills her with rage.
But then the girl continues.
"My stepdad, he isn't very nice, he hurts my mom sometimes."
The anger she feels toward the girl's mom immediately dissipates and is replaced with concern.
"Was he hurting your mom? Is that why you left?"
The girl nods her head.
"I was in my room when I heard a loud crashing sound. I went to see what it was, and I saw them fighting. My mom screamed for me to leave and get help, and I stepped on some of the glass from a cup he'd thrown on my way out."
Tears start welling in her eyes and it makes Hope's heart break.
"You're very brave," Hope tells her as she places a bandaid over the cut.
"I'm going to call the police, I think your mom might still be in danger and needs some help," Hope rushes to get her cellphone. "What's your mom's name?"
"Josette Saltzman."
