At 2 P.M., I Walked Into My Parents’ Backyard Expecting To Pick Up My 8-

me more, slept pressed against my side some nights, and hesitated whenever we talked about family.

But she never once asked about my parents. Not once.

Maybe that silence was its own kind of answer.

Meanwhile, the legal wheels kept turning. CPS conducted multiple interviews—one with me and Ethan, one with Amelia, one with the hospital staff, and several continue reading …