For years, keeping Aaron happy had been easier than disappointing him.
I swallowed my own doubts.
Agreed to one more pregnancy.
Made myself smaller whenever I thought it would keep our family together.
But somewhere between the hospital room where he abandoned me and the doorway where I finally told him no, something changed.
I understood that protecting my family did not require sacrificing myself to hold it together.
I lifted my son into my arms and walked away without looking back.
For the first time in years, I wasn’t choosing Aaron.
I was choosing myself.
