While I was scraping by, building my event planning business from the ground up, Denise would dismiss it as me “playing around.” Claire, the golden child, was the family star, excelling in school and deserving of their endless support. Eventually, I had enough. I didn’t stage a dramatic confrontation; I just went silent. I stopped calling, stopped visiting, and poured every ounce of my energy into my life and my work. And I thrived. My business grew beyond my wildest dreams. I was finally in a place where I didn’t need them.