yes

Sometimes, a person can live in what looks like abundance—yet not realize they're merely walking in the shadow of death. We were a family of six: Patience (my elder sister), Deborah (that’s me), Joseph (my younger brother), Michael (the last born), Grace (our mother), and Hope (our father). We are from Edo State, Uromi to be exact. Life used to feel whole—full of love and togetherness. Everything changed the day we lost our mother. Her passing shattered us. Left with only my father and siblings, our lives took a dark turn. My father, who was once kind and caring, became someone we barely recognized. He began to treat us harshly—as if we were burdens rather than his own children. Let me pause and ask: how would you feel if you lost a parent, and instead of receiving love and support, you were made to feel like you had no parents at all? For me, I felt invisible—like the world had rejected me completely. One day, my father looked me straight in the eyes and said words that pierced my soul: “I don’t like seeing you in my house, Deborah. You’re useless to society.” I asked him, “How have I wronged you?”