Eight-year-old Diane tugged on her mother’s sleeve as Erika hoisted her packed bags into the car. “Mom, I want to go with you!” Diane pleaded, her small voice trembling. Erika knelt down to Diane’s level, forcing a smile. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m going on a business trip this time. You can’t come. But listen—when I come back, we’ll go to Disneyland together, just the two of us.” Diane’s heart sank. “But… where will I stay?” “You’re going to stay with Aunt Karina and Uncle Roger! Isn’t that exciting?” Erika said

I knew something was wrong the moment my mother-in-law insisted we use her Christmas tree. This was our very first time hosting the family Christmas gathering in our home. I should have been excited. Proud. Instead, a tight knot of suspicion settled in my chest the day a huge cardboard box showed up on our porch in October. My mother-in-law, Veronica, had always been controlling. Not the loud, obvious kind—no, hers was quiet, polished, and wrapped in fake concern. Especially when it came to family traditions. She liked things done

At seven in the morning, the winter air cut like glass. I stood in the doorway of our small apartment, holding my four-year-old daughter close. Her tiny fingers gripped my sweatshirt as if she could stop the world from collapsing. My seven-year-old son pressed himself against my legs, trembling. Outside, the stairwell echoed with the heavy thud of boots, growing louder, closer, until nearly thirty men in worn leather vests filled the narrow hall. At the front was my landlord, Rick. His face looked carved from stone, hard and unyielding.