I found a run-down studio apartment on the outskirts of town. The walls were infested with cockroaches, and the heater only worked when it wanted to, but it was mine. I worked the night shift cleaning office buildings. During the day, I stocked shelves at a grocery store until my belly bulged and my back gave out.

I gave birth alone. No baby shower. No family waiting outside the delivery room. Just a tired, trembling young woman with a newborn in her arms, whispering the promise: “It’ll be okay. Either way, everything will be okay.”