Life Of A Single Mom

Chapter 18

Even after we finally made it back home, life still didn’t return to normal.

Because of everything that happened at the hospital, I was still being monitored, so I ended up staying with family for a while trying to make things easier on everybody involved. But after some time, the situation became overwhelming.

Not because people didn’t love me…

but because real life doesn’t stop for anybody.

People still had jobs. Bills. Responsibilities. Their own lives to manage.

And honestly, I understood it. Nobody wanted to miss work babysitting a grown woman who was physically capable of doing things on her own, even if I was mentally drowning at the time.

Eventually, things got so stressful that I made one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make as a mother.

I let my baby stay with family for a while.

And baby, that decision broke me.

Not because I didn’t want him… but because I felt like everything around me was falling apart faster than I could hold it together.

During all of this, Keith only came around once after we got home.

One time.

He showed up with gifts, sweet words, fake concerns — the usual. Apparently things at home with his “happy family” weren’t going so well, and suddenly he wanted me back again.

But this time, I didn’t immediately fold.

I was exhausted. Tired of drama. Tired of chaos. Tired of surviving instead of living.

I didn’t just want to change anymore…

I needed it.

Our son ended up staying with Keith’s mother temporarily, and after a month or two, the case was finally closed.

When I got that news?

Baby, I felt free for the first time in forever.

But of course, peace never lasted long in my life.

Now I had to deal with Keith’s mama.

She had grown attached to my son, which I understood completely because what grandmother wouldn’t? But somewhere along the line, she started acting like my baby belonged with her permanently. She kept bringing up the case like she had authority over me, and eventually I got fed up.

Because who are YOU to tell me when I can get my child back?

Especially when I barely even knew her.

And that’s what made the situation even crazier. Me and Keith had dealt with each other on and off for FIVE years, and I had never officially met his mother until all of this happened.

Five whole years.

So just imagine how heated I was when she started overstepping boundaries involving my child.

Baby, she got every word that was sitting on my chest.

One thing about a mother? You do not come between her and her babies.

Eventually, we came to an understanding real quick after I made myself very clear. And while my son stayed with her a little longer, it gave me time to get back on my feet. The other kids were spending the summer with family, so I used that quiet time to work, grind, and focus on rebuilding myself financially.

And somehow during all that…

me and Keith ended up trying again.

Yeah.

I know.

Looking back now, I should’ve ran the opposite direction.

He moved back in, and for a brief moment I tried convincing myself things would be different this time.

But nothing changed.

Actually…

it got worse.

The abuse became more violent. The verbal attacks became cruel. The manipulation became heavier.

It felt like Keith came back into my life determined to destroy every remaining piece of me that still stood.

And one night…

it almost cost me my life.

We got into another argument, and things escalated beyond anything they ever had before. The rage in his eyes didn’t even look human anymore. I remember feeling genuine fear for the first time because deep down I realized:

this man was capable of killing me.

At one point during the fight, he tried throwing me out the window of our two-story apartment.

And when I say he was trying to kill me…

I mean exactly that.

If it wasn’t for Justin stepping in when he did, I honestly don’t know if I would still be here telling this story.

That moment changed everything for me.

Because for the first time, the reality of my situation hit harder than the love I thought I had for Keith.

And trust me…

this is far from the last time y’all will hear about either one of them.