My daughter Evelyn’s fifth birthday started with balloons and the kind of laughter

And there she was.

My mother-in-law.

We had not seen each other in almost three years. Our relationship had always been strained. She had opinions about everything—how we should spend money, where we should live, what kind of car we should drive. When we started the adoption process, she had questioned it. Not loudly, but in small comments that cut.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try one more round?” she had asked once.

“We’ve made our decision,” I had said firmly.