It has been three weeks since that nightmare afternoon. Grace is physically recovering, though the emotional trauma is going to take a long time to heal. We have changed the locks, installed a full security system, and I have cut off every single member of my biological family permanently.

When Melanie sent me a barrage of texts accusing me of being a “traitor to my own blood,” I blocked her number without a second thought. My family isn’t the woman who gave birth to me; my family is the brave, resilient woman who survived her cruelty, and the innocent little boy we are going to protect with our lives.