Stefan’s confidence vanished as the officers restrained him, while my mother sank into a chair and began offering excuses that no longer mattered to me. A social worker named Sara Lind arrived with a warm blanket and promised that I would not have to return home that night or ever again. In the weeks that followed, I went through many meetings and therapy sessions, but for the first time, the adults in my life were actually working to protect me. When I eventually stood before a judge to discuss my future, I made the very first real decision for myself by choosing to live in a place where I felt genuinely safe. While my mother tried to apologize for her failure to act, I had to remind her that her primary job should have been my protection. My journey since that day has been focused on survival and building a life free from the fear that once defined my every moment.
