I had just come back from a work trip when my daughter whispered to me, “Mom, can I stop taking the pills Dad gives me?” My heart froze. I told her to bring me the bottle. When the doctor tested it, the truth left me shaking.

I had just gotten back to Chicago after four days of client meetings in Dallas, the kind that leave your brain buzzing even when you finally shut your laptop. The house smelled faintly of lemon cleaner, and the hallway nightlight…