My Stepfather Beat Me Every Day for Entertainment—Then He Broke My Arm, and the Doctor Called 911 After Seeing My Bruises

the way he believed most things about our family, that fear worked like a leash, and that he had spent years tightening mine until it barely needed pulling anymore.

“Is this necessary?” my mother snapped at the officers, her voice pitched somewhere between offended and afraid. “My daughter is emotional. She makes things up when she wants attention.continue reading …