After a week of my 6-year-old son being left with my mother-in-law, I received a terrifying call that completely altered my life.

I thought I could trust my mother-in-law, Angela, to care for my six-year-old son, Liam, while Ethan and I went on our honeymoon. Ethan reassured me she loved Liam, and though I had doubts, I agreed.

Four days into the trip, Liam called me crying. He said Angela and her friend told him I didn’t want him anymore because he misbehaved. My heart broke.

When I confronted Angela, she brushed it off, calling him dramatic and saying fear was a form of discipline. I immediately packed up, and Ethan and I flew home.

At her house, I found Liam upstairs, curled up and terrified. Angela defended her actions, saying she was “building character.” Ethan, shocked by her cruelty, told her she’d never be alone with Liam again.

We cut off contact for a while, and even when she returned to our lives, trust was gone. Liam was never the same—clingier, anxious, afraid I’d leave.

I blamed myself for trusting the wrong person. But I kept my promise to Liam: I’d never leave him. Years later, he reminded me I didn’t—and that made it all worth it.