Once I made sure Lily was settled with some warm food and her favorite stuffed animal, I pulled out my laptop and began searching the internet for nearby hotels. I knew that staying in our house — a place that should have been a sanctuary — wasn’t an option for the night, not until I’d had time to decide what to do next. My in-laws had crossed a line, and it was time for me to redraw the boundaries that they’d clearly disregarded.
As I scanned the options, my phone buzzed incessantly on the table. It was as if the whole world had suddenly discovered urgency — as if my in-laws’ actions weren’t the real transgression, but rather my reaction to them. But I wasn’t going to be baited into a conversation that would only end with yet another set of excuses about how they didn’t mean any harm, or how it was all just a misunderstanding.
I booked a room at a modest hotel a few miles away. It wasn’t luxurious, but it had decent reviews and, most importantly, it was away from the prying eyes of family members who thought they knew best.
