I remember a night when my mom and stepfather had a big argument. I don’t know what it was about because my brother and I were in our room getting ready for bed.

My mom came into our room and gave my brother and me a big hug. She started talking about leaving if that would make things better for all of us, and I didn’t understand the context of why she said those words. She held us tight, and we held her tighter, and my heartbeat fast.