“Dear Mom, I know it has been 14 years, but I'm sorry for running away from home. At the time I…”

Dear Mom, I know it has been 14 years, but I'm sorry for running away from home. At the time I could only think about myself and I know the situation was really hard on you as well. I wish I had stayed and gotten to know my step-siblings, maybe we could have been friends. I thought about you a lot over the years, when I got my first job, my first apartment...I would think about whether you would be proud of me. If you would see me as a survivor, that I was strong like you raised me to be. Or maybe I was weak for running away and abandoning you. I just wanted to live my own life and be my own person. I didn't want to end up like you...trapped and giving up on all my dreams. I don't know if I will send this letter. I don't know if you're alive. But every day I feel guilty and also secretly hope that you are proud of me for getting out and making my own life. Your Daughter.