I was strolling home from the animal shelter where I volunteered, holding a bag of treats for my cranky orange tabby, Pudding. He was my solace, my friend, and the one steady presence in a life that often felt painfully isolating.

As a young girl, I lost my mother, leaving my father and me to navigate life together. For a time, we were a solid pair until he remarried Darlene. She never warmed to me and made her dislike crystal clear.

From the start, she seemed to see me as a rival for my father’s affection. When he passed away in a tragic car crash shortly after my 17th birthday, Darlene became my sole guardian.