Nora took the stand after that.

Her voice shook as she described waking on the floor that night and believing, for a moment, that I was dead — and seeing our mother standing a few feet away, not moving toward either of us.

My mother lifted her tear-streaked face.

“I was terrified of him too, Nora.” And my sister looked at her, steadily, and said the truest thing anyone said in that entire trial.

“We were terrified too, Mom.