UNBOWED

Ceylin ain't never asked to be the child born outta somebody else's betrayal-but somehow, she been payin' for that shit her whole damn life.

Her mama never let her forget how she came into this world. Her sisters treat her like she's the reason their parents' marriage ain't what it used to be. And Cierra? Cierra took that shit way past sisterly rivalry when she got pregnant by Ceylin's cheating-ass boyfriend while Ceylin was pregnant by him too.

Then, after Ceylin lost her baby from the stress of it all, Cierra had the nerve to tell her-

"I'm the big sister, so I should be havin' the baby first anyway."

And everybody laughed.

That was the last time Ceylin let them see her break.

Now she's twenty-one, living good, teaching little babies, staying close to the daddy and stepdaddy who actually raised her right, and keeping her distance from the family that taught her blood don't automatically mean love.

She ain't lookin' for nobody.

She damn sure ain't lookin' backward.

Then Yulani and Ricardo-two parents of one of her students-start becoming a whole lot more than familiar faces at pickup and parent-teacher conferences. And for the first time, Ceylin gets to experience a love that don't come with betrayal, competition, or conditions.

But her maternal family ain't used to this version of her.

They remember the girl who cried.

The girl who begged.

The girl who cared what they thought.

They just ain't prepared to meet the woman who finally stopped giving a fuck.

Because Ceylin done learned something the hard way:

You can lose your family and still find your people.

And if they thought she was ever gonna bow her head for them again?

They got another damn thing comin'.