Suddenly my mother rushed forward, pushing past him with desperate fury that I had never witnessed before in my entire life. Her open palm struck my face repeatedly, once, twice, then again, each impact snapping my head sideways with stinging humiliation.
“You heartless monster.” She wept openly, mascara streaking across her trembling cheeks. “She was carrying a baby, and you destroyed everything.”
“I never knew Courtney was pregnant.” My voice cracked helplessly beneath disbelief and terror.
Nobody had ever told me anything. I was twelve years old, consumed by spelling competitions, childish insecurities, and the naïve belief that my family was fundamentally safe. Within seconds, my reality fractured completely as accusations of violence and destruction engulfed me without warning. Sirens pierced the silence seventeen agonizing minutes later, though by then my father had finally released me, allowing my trembling body to collapse into a helpless heap.