My husband pushed me down the stairs, and as I lay shattered at the bottom, my mother-in-law called my father and said, “Come get your worthless daughter and take her back.” Dad gave her only one warning: “If she has so much as a scratch, your family will answer for it.” They laughed at him because they had absolutely no idea who my father truly was.

PART 17

Recovery was not a straight line.

My ribs healed slowly.

The doctor cleared me for gentle activity, then told me to stop trying to do too much on the days I felt better.

I began walking with Lily to the end of the block, then to the playground, then all the way to the little library behind the grocery store.

Sometimes the sight of stairs still made my heart race.