I shook my head.
“No. You survived. I just made sure no one could ever hurt you again.”
She leaned into me, resting her hand over mine.
And as I looked at my wife and daughter, I understood something I should have known long ago:
Family isn’t defined by blood.
It’s defined by who protects you when you’re at your weakest.
And if anyone—even your own mother—tries to destroy that family,
you lock the doors,
call the police,
and make sure they never come back.
