LILITH

Yes. I planned to move out.

If I truly wanted to gain independence from my family, I had to first learn how to live away from them.

To be honest, I felt a little apprehensive about taking this step. In both my lives combined, I’d never lived away from home—not even for a single day.

Even in college, where first-years were required to live in the dorms, my parents pulled some strings. I ended up completing all four years as a day student.

Then came marriage. Then pregnancy. And just like that, freedom slipped further away as I settled into the role of full-time wife and mother.

So now...