After a brutal night shift, I found out my parents had planned a weekend at my lake house with 20 guests, without asking me.

I said. “Not today.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

After he left, I sat on the floor beside the door for a few minutes, not crying, not smiling, just breathing.

That was the strange thing about finally standing up for yourself. At first, it did not feel like victory. It felt like leaving a loud room and realizing your ears were still ringing.

Months passed.

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