My 7-year-old came back from her mom’s place with marks. Her stepdad called it ‘toughening up.’ My ex said I was being ‘too soft.’ She forgot I’m a police officer. In my work, we call it something else: Evidence My seven-year-old daughter came back from her mom’s place a different child. Her usual radiant energy was gone, replaced by a heavy stillness. “Daddy, I need to be stronger,” she whispered, her eyes still glued to the floor. When I helped her take off her backpack, she winced. A father’s