When I gave birth to our son, Ethan, I hoped things would change. For a brief moment, it seemed like they might. Denise visited us in the hospital, cradling Ethan with a softness I hadn’t seen before. I dared to believe that this new life might bridge the gap between us. But soon after, the silence came. Cold. Calculated. Denise reverted to her old ways, her warm facade vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
