The door to the bedroom I used to share with my three sisters opens and Lydia comes out, followed by Kitty and, finally, Marion. My heart lifts in my chest but sinks lower than it was before when I see the fear on their faces. They look so young. So vulnerable. They glance at Mom, unsure whether they’re allowed to speak to me. If they do, there’s no doubt they’ll suffer the consequences.

“It’s so good to see you,” I say, looking at my sisters. I try to keep it together, but I want to bundle them out of here and take them back to Colorado with me. I don’t want them to waste any more years doing what Mom demands of them. It’s more obvious than ever that despite the lack of bars, we lived in a prison. They’re still living in it.

Love surges in my chest for these young women who still have so much living ahead of them. I want to hug them. But doing so might create more difficulties for them when I leave. Mom will punish them. A huge wave of guilt for leaving them all here crashes over me. I should have been looking out for them. I should have been protecting them.

“They don’t want to see you,” Mom barks.

I glance back at my sisters to find their expressions say something very different.

“I haven’t changed my number,” I say. “I’d love to hear from you.”

“They have you blocked,” Mom spits. “We all do. You left this family the moment you ran out on us.”

I try to keep my expression blank, but inside it’s hard to hear what she’s saying. I know how she is, but who she is remains the same: this is my mother. There’s a tiny part of me that hoped she’d see me today and remember she loves me.

I face my sisters. I don’t want to engage with Mom. There’s no point. She’ll twist my words, try to make me the monster.

“I didn’t run out on you. I just knew I couldn’t marry a man I didn’t love to keep Mom happy.” My voice is calm but small. It feels so grating to be speaking against her like this, in front of her. We’d all complain to each other about her, but we always went along with what she said in the end. We didn’t feel we had any choice. But for the life of me, I don’t understand why I stayed as long as I did when I became an adult. I didn’t have to give her my paycheck. Why didn’t I just keep it and find my own place?