They drive me to the Police Station, where Mom is waiting in the lobby and my father is in a cell. I gasp when I see Mom. She's stripped down to a simple jumpsuit, looking very uncomfortable. There are bruises along her arms, and a large one on her neck, as if she was strangled.

"Mom," I breathe, running up to her. 

Tears well up in her eyes. I hug her tightly and she flinches. I recoil. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

She shakes her head and pulls me back into a hug. She buries her face in my hair. "I love you, Mia. I'm sorry I brought him back into our lives. I truly thought he had changed..."

"I know, Mom, I know," I soothe. I've shed my tears. It's time to be strong now. Strong for her. Strong for Olivia. 

Strong for myself.