I opened my banking app expecting to see the $14,000 I’d worked so hard to save. Instead, the number glaring back at me was $4.87.

I cried.

Do I regret it? Only that I waited so long.

So if you’re the “strong one,” hear this: You don’t owe them your peace. You deserve to breathe too. Walk away if you must.

You’re not abandoning family. You’re choosing yourself.