“To stop mistaking my daughter’s comfort for family peace.” She looked toward the sliding door behind us. “You protected Mia when you stopped explaining her worth to people determined to overlook it.”

“I should have done it sooner.”

“Every mother says that after learning something she could not have known.”

“I knew enough.”

“You knew your parents were unreliable. You did not know they would leave a child alone for a week.”

I looked toward the bedroom where Mia was sleeping. “No.”