When the Past Came Back, I Chose to Protect My Peace.

The call was short, but it mattered.

When it ended, I sat quietly, feeling a sense of closure I hadn’t realized I was still missing. Not because everything had been resolved—but because I had learned something essential:

Strength isn’t loud.
It isn’t dramatic.
Sometimes, strength is simply knowing when to say no—and trusting that you don’t need permission to protect the life you worked so hard to rebuild.