Sarah stood in the doorway, her face a portrait of concern. “Are you sure about this, David?” she asked softly, her hand resting gently on her belly. “They’re still your family.”

I took a deep breath, looking into her eyes. “I’m sure,” I said. “We’ve worked hard for what we have, and I won’t let anyone, family or not, disrespect you or our child.”

We spent that morning talking about our future, about the kind of family we wanted to build, where love and respect were mutual and unconditional. It was refreshing and filled us with hope.