Chapter 6 - The Broken Branch
One evening, my mother showed up at my apartment building alone. She bypassed the intercom by following another tenant inside and knocked timidly on my door.
I opened it, keeping the security chain locked. She looked broken, aged by ten years.
“Sarah... please,” she whimpered. “Your father lost his license. Vanessa is filing for bankruptcy. Our family is ruined. Is this what you wanted?”
“I wanted you to love my daughter,” I replied, my voice deadpan. “I wanted a family that didn’t treat a child like garbage.”
“We were wrong! Vanessa was wrong!” she sobbed. “Just drop the legal complaints. Let us see Lily once. Let us apologize to her!”
Lily crept up behind me, peeking through the crack. The moment she saw my mother, she backed away in fear, shaking her head violently.
May you like
“She’s terrified of you, Mom,” I said. “You didn’t just hurt me; you shattered a child’s sense of safety. I will never drop the charges. Go home.”
I closed the door in her face and locked it tight.
