The day I buried my parents was the day I became an adult not because I turned 18, but because I had to protect my 6-year-old brother, Max. It was also my birthday. I didn’t care. I just wanted Max to stop asking when Mom was coming back. A week later, Aunt Diane and Uncle…

The day I buried my parents was the day I became an adult not because I turned 18, but because I had to protect my 6-year-old brother, Max. It was also my birthday. I didn’t care. I just wanted Max to stop asking when Mom was coming back. A week later, Aunt Diane and Uncle Gary invited us over then blindsided me with their plan to take custody of Max.

Their concern felt fake, rehearsed. These were the same people who’d forgotten his birthday and skipped holidays. The next morning, they filed for custody. I dropped out of college, picked up two jobs, and moved Max into a tiny studio apartment. It wasn’t much, but it was ours. I filed for guardianship. We were surviving until Diane accused me of abuse.

That lie almost destroyed us. But our neighbor, Ms. Harper, testified in court, calling me a better parent than most. The judge gave Diane only supervised visits. One night, I picked Max up early and overheard Diane on speakerphone: “Once we get custody, the state will release the trust fund.” I didn’t even know Max had one. The next night, I recorded her and Gary planning to spend the money on a car and vacation — and dump Max in boarding school.

At the final hearing, my lawyer played the recording. The judge was furious. Diane and Gary lost custody and were reported for fraud. I was granted full guardianship. That day, Max squeezed my hand and asked, “Are we going home now?” I smiled. “Yeah, we are.” Two years later, Max is thriving, and I’m back in school. We still live in that small place, still argue over cartoons, still laugh. I’m not perfect. But we’re safe. We’re together. And I never stopped fighting. Because love isn’t proven in words. It’s proven in what you do when someone tries to take it away.