My sister sat beside the bed with a paper coffee cup cooling between her hands.
She did not tell me to be strong.
She helped me drink water one careful sip at a time, held the cup when my hands shook, and stayed awake whenever I woke in panic.
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Before Marcus locked me in the basement, he had spent months making my sister seem like the problem.
He complained when she called during dinner, accused her of interfering in our marriage, and told me that pregnancy had made me too emotional to recognize disrespect.
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When he began answering my phone for me, he said he was protecting my rest.
When he stopped driving me to see her, he said the trips were bad for the baby.
When his mother moved into the house, he said I needed another woman nearby.
Each restriction arrived disguised as care.
