Thomas’s voice filled the courtroom: “Nobody will believe you. Your mother will swear you fell.”

Then my mother’s voice followed: “Make sure she says bathroom.”

The jury stopped looking at me like a damaged girl. They looked at Thomas and my mother like they were finally seeing the house I’d been living in.

Thomas was convicted of aggravated assault, child abuse, witness intimidation, and evidence tampering. My mother was convicted of child endangerment, obstruction, and fraud. The judge ordered restitution out of the stolen estate money. Their house was sold. Thomas’s friends vanished. Mom’s perfect church circle turned into empty pews around her.