Calm but firm, she reminded Deborah that I owned the apartment — legally and solely. “So,” she said, “you’ll be leaving now.”
Deborah turned to Todd, expecting him to side with her. But he didn’t. For the first time, he stood his ground. “I’m choosing my family,” he told her. “You will not speak about Meredith like that ever again.” Defeated, Deborah left.
Later, we found out she’d sold her home expecting to move in with us. Instead, she ended up at her cousin’s cramped place — the same cousin she used to mock. That night, as Meredith slept between us, Todd held my hand and said, “She’s my daughter too. No one talks about her that way.”
And in that moment, I realized: we hadn’t just protected Meredith from cruelty — we’d built a real family, grounded in love, and finally left fear behind.