At eight, I learned you don't get to choose your family. At sixteen, I learned that other people's choices can destroy a life. At twenty-two, I learned that one look is all it takes to tip the scales. At twenty-four, I learned that freedom comes at a cost... and you have to be ready to pay it. Could I have changed anything? Maybe. But what's done is done. So now, there's only one thing left for me to do: survive in a world that never once waited for me to stand back up before moving on.