At a table laden with meat and seafood, my mother-in-law was the only person who left me with an empty plate: “We’ve run out of food for you.”

laughing at me.

No one was demanding my money.

No one measured my worth by what I could pay for them.

The waiter returned and carefully served a beautifully prepared dish onto the plate.

I laughed—a bright, genuine laugh. “I’m perfectly fine, Paula. Never better.”

My father raised his glass. “To my daughter. To her strength and her success.”

Everyone raised their glasses.

“What exactly are we drinking to?” I asked with a smile.

Paula grinned and touched her glass to mine. “To learning that setting boundaries is the ultimate