Òyì nke e mepụtara

For a second, I thought — maybe he would stop. Maybe he would turn it into a joke. Maybe— “I wish you were never born The words didn’t echo. They didn’t need to They landed exactly where they were meant to. On me And for a moment… everything slowed down. No one laughed No one reacted. My stepmother…

For a second, I thought — maybe he would stop. Maybe he would turn it into a joke. Maybe— “I wish you were never born The words didn’t echo. They didn’t need to They landed exactly where they were meant to. On me And for a moment… everything slowed down. No one laughed No one reacted. My stepmother gave a small nod, like she agreed. My sister lifted her phone… and started recording. Recording Like this was something worth saving. I looked around the table. Forty people Forty witnesses.