She was still ten.

We kept the chair steady, supervised the candles, and made sure the cake knife stayed safely with an adult.

The difference was that ordinary boundaries didn’t come with humiliation or threats that love could be withdrawn.

After the first piece of cake, Emily pulled a card from her backpack.

“I made this for you.”

Inside were three crooked hearts and the words For Mom.

I held it by the edges so the frosting on my fingers wouldn’t mark it.