The Person I Refused to Forgive. My story begins with a loss I did not understand. My mom died when I was four years old, and the world became painfully empty. My dad collapsed into substances and relationships, and I was left to raise myself long before I knew what childhood was supposed to feel like. I walked to school hungry. I wore the same unwashed clothes. I learned to survive by acting strong even when my heart was already tired. That brokenness followed me into adolescence. I wanted to f