He kept the family insurance cards in a locked drawer “so they wouldn’t get lost.” When Sadie complained of pain, he called it drama.

When I asked to take her for help, he warned that an expensive hospital visit could jeopardize our mortgage.

“He works in finance,” I explained, hearing how flimsy the excuse sounded.

“He worries about bills.”

Elise wrote down my words and asked, “Has he ever prevented you from accessing your own medical care?”

I thought of the winter I’d put off a mammogram because Curtis said the deductible was ridiculous.

I thought of how I stopped asking for things before I had even finished forming the question.