Severing Our Ties
He would never again be the child I instinctively protected.
“Mom! I was wrong, okay? Please come back! I promise I’ll be good! I’ll listen to you—I’ll be your good boy!”
By the end, his voice was thick with tears.
I crouched down, meeting his desperate gaze.
Then, slowly and clearly, I said, “Did you forget? Your last name is Larson. Mine is Winters.”
“We were never family.”
A flicker of something dark and satisfying curled in my chest.
Maybe it wasn’t right, but it felt good.