My Husband’s Best Friend Came to Dinner — After He Left, Our Daughter Went Silent for Months

My daughter went silent after a family friend’s visit — and months later, she whispered the truth that shattered everything. Jake, my husband’s best friend, had joined us for a normal dinner. Nothing seemed off — until the next morning, when our 7-year-old daughter, Lily, stopped speaking entirely. At first, we thought it was a phase. But hours turned into days, then weeks. She held tight to a stuffed fox Jake had given her and avoided eye contact. Every test and therapy session revealed nothing. Still, she didn’t speak.