I didn't have to become a single mom. I could've stayed. Smiled for the photos. Played the part. Pretended we were the "happy little family" everyone wanted us to be. I could've kept shrinking myself to keep the peace. Buried my dreams. Quieted my voice. Dimmed the parts of me that made others uncomfortable. But my biggest fear wasn't leaving - it was my child growing up never really knowing me. Not the version who just survived... but the one who laughed more than she cried, who dreamed bigger than her fears, who felt free in her own skin again. So no, I didn't have to be a single mom. But I chose to be. Because my child deserves the whole version of me - not the shadow I became to keep someone else comfortable.