Afterward, I lingered outside the building, my phone chiming in my pocket. It was Alex again. “How’d it go?” they asked, excitement bubbling in their voice.

“I think it went really well,” I replied, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. “I don’t know if I’ll get the job, but I feel like I got a piece of myself back today.”

That evening, I returned home. I knew the confrontation wasn’t over. Dad was waiting in the living room, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Chloe was on her phone, and Mom was in the kitchen, pretending to be occupied.

“I didn’t expect you to come back,” Dad said finally, his voice devoid of the earlier aggression.

“I didn’t expect you to care,” I replied, meeting his gaze steadily. “I’m not here to fight. I just wanted you to know that I’m done being the one who bends.”

There was silence, a thick, heavy pause. Then, unexpectedly, Dad nodded. “Alright,” he said, and though it wasn’t an apology, it was something.

Chloe glanced up from her phone, her expression unreadable, and Mom, from the kitchen, paused in her pretend task to listen.

I knew things wouldn’t change overnight. But I’d made a choice, and I’d chosen myself. My future. And in doing so, I’d taken the first step out of the shadows they’d cast over me for so long. The rest of my life was waiting, and this time, I was ready for it.