When my mom got cancer, my dad chose another woman and disappeared. At 18, my twin brother and I became parents to our three younger siblings. Five years later, our father showed up at our door like nothing happened — and demanded something that left us in shock.My name is Anna, and I’m one of a set of twins.Daniel and I were twenty-four when things finally slowed down enough for me to breathe. But when our lives actually fell apart, we were barely eighteen.Fresh out of high school. Still arguing about which dorm would be cheaper. Still believing adulthood came with warnings and instructions.

There were five of us. Daniel and I first. Then Liam. Then Maya. Then Sophie. Back then, they were nine, seven, and five. Small. Loud. Always hungry. Always asking questions that had no right answers.“Can you pick me up early tomorrow?”“Is Mom coming home tonight?”Nothing was okay, but no one had told them that yet.The diagnosis came on a Tuesday. I remember because Mom had made pancakes that morning and apologized for burning them.“I’ll do better tomorrow,” she said, smiling too hard.