00:00The long fallout. Last October, the weather had just started to turn. That crisp, early autumn chill where the air smells faintly of dried leaves and chimney smoke. I 23F drove to my stepmom's house that day, not for a social visit, but simply to pick up a package that had been delivered there by mistake. It should have been a quick in and out. My stepmom, Lori 45F, wasn't home, and I thought that was for the best.
00:25Things between us had been tense for months. She had always been the type to notice every little thing. A dish in the sink. A shirt slightly wrinkled, a perceived tone in your voice, and turn it into a teachable moment. Over the years, it had built up into a constant hum of criticism that followed me every time I saw her. I parked in the driveway, grabbed my package, and was just about to leave when my phone buzzed. It was Lori calling. I almost didn't answer, but habit won out.
00:53Hey, she said. I saw on Life 360 that you're at the house. Could you do me a quick favor? The trash needs to be taken out, and the dishwasher could be unloaded. I was already tired from work and dealing with a series of small annoyances all day. Still, I figured it wouldn't kill me to help, so I mumbled, sure. But it didn't stop there.
01:14What started as a couple of chores turned into a 20-minute lecture on everything from how I should manage my time better, to how I need to be more patient with people, to her opinion that I should think about settling down and making more concrete life plans.
01:27Normally, I would just nod along until she finished, but I was running on fumes that day. Her voice started to feel like sandpaper on my brain. Without even thinking it through, I muttered a quick,
01:38Okay, well, I have to go now, and hung up. I knew it was abrupt, rude, even, but I didn't expect it to be a thing. Not two minutes later, my phone pinged with a text.
01:49Petty much. I stared at the screen, the heat rising in my chest. I decided not to reply. Partly because I didn't want to escalate things, and partly because I was just done.
02:01Two days later was my dad's birthday dinner. That morning, he called me. Hey, before you come tonight, he started cautiously,
02:08You need to apologize to Lori. Apologize? For what? For hanging up on her. She says you were disrespectful.
02:16I bit my tongue. I could feel my temper boiling, but I didn't want to start a fight with my dad. Still, I told him flatly, I'm not apologizing.
02:25She's been nitpicking me for months. I didn't yell. I didn't curse. I just ended the call. That's not worth the grovel. Dad sighed heavily.
02:34Look, I'm not getting in the middle, but you need to smooth things over if you want things to be normal again.
02:39That was the first sign things were about to spiral. That evening, I still went to dinner. The moment I walked in, Lori avoided my eyes.
02:48She made polite small talk with my siblings, laughed with my grandparents, and carried on as though I wasn't even there.
02:55Fine, I thought, two can play that game. I focused on talking to my dad and brothers. It was all manageable until we sat down to eat.
03:03Halfway through the meal, Lori suddenly slammed her fork down, turned to me, and said loudly,
03:08If you have something to say, say it. The table went silent. My younger brothers froze, wide-eyed. My grandma shifted uncomfortably.
03:17I could feel the heat in my face. I wanted to say a lot of things. About her constant criticism. About how she treated me like a child.
03:26About how ridiculous this whole thing had become. But I also didn't want to blow up in front of my siblings.
03:31So I quietly set my fork down, stood up, and said, I'm not doing this here. Then I walked out. We didn't speak for a month, not a word.
03:41And then, the attack happened. It was a Tuesday night. I was home alone, scrolling my phone in bed, when I heard my front door rattle.
03:49Before I could process what was happening, a man was in my room. I had just enough time to gasp before his hands were around my throat.
03:56The next few minutes were a blur of panic. Struggling to breathe, my vision darkening, my hands clawing at his arms.
04:04Somehow, I managed to kick free and scramble toward the door, screaming. A neighbor heard me and called 911.
04:11The police came, but the attacker ran before they arrived. No arrest was made. I couldn't stay there.
04:17I packed a bag and moved in with my boyfriend while I tried to recover, both physically and emotionally.
04:23My dad called me, sounding shaken, and I heard him tell Lori in the background what had happened.
04:29She didn't call. She didn't text. Nothing. Months passed. Holidays came and went.
04:35My younger brother's birthdays passed without an invitation.
04:38I was slowly realizing that Lori had cut me off entirely, and my dad was going along with it.
04:43When I confronted him about it, he just said, you know what you have to do.
04:48Apparently, the only way I could be part of the family again, was to apologize to Lori.
04:53Then the final blow came. My sister told me that Lori had been telling people I provoked my attacker.
04:59As if the fact that I was literally asleep before being strangled didn't matter.
05:03That crushed me. This woman had been my mother figure for most of my life.
05:07My biological mom left when I was a kid, so Lori was the one who raised me.
05:12But now it felt like that bond had been destroyed beyond repair.
05:16Now it's been 10 months. 10 months since Lori last spoke to me.
05:2010 months of missing family gatherings, of only talking to my dad over the phone,
05:24of feeling like I've been erased. And here I am, wondering if I should just apologize.
05:30Not because I believe I was wrong, but because I want to see my family again.
05:34But the other part of me knows that if I do, I'll be betraying myself just to appease her ego.
05:39So I'm stuck, asking myself the question I never thought I'd have to ask.
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