“No older person is a burden. No life loses value with age. And if anyone ever makes you feel like you don’t belong…”

I paused.

“…walking away isn’t always running. Sometimes, it’s the first step back to yourself.”

That night, I sat by the window, watching the city lights flicker in the distance.

And I understood something simple.

I hadn’t escaped that house.

That night—

I found myself.