My husband and my sister laughed while my daughter Holly was dying in a hospital bed. Then he smirked and said, “Holly had a good run. We need that money for my son with your sister.”

for that question many times. I had imagined careful answers, therapist-approved phrases, gentle explanations.

But Holly’s eyes were direct.

So I gave her the truth in a form she could carry.

“No one can force you to love someone who hurt you,” I said. “When you’re older, you can decide what kind of relationship you want. Right now, my job is to keep continue reading …