Every Friday at 6 p.m. my daughter called me without fail, and the one week my phone stayed silent I drove to her house and heard a sound from upstairs that turned our quiet Tennessee life into something I still can’t fully talk about

offered a privacy screen so Amelia wouldn’t have to see Kevin while she testified. Amelia refused.

“No screen,” she said, her voice small but firm. “I want to look at him.”

I was proud and terrified at the same time.

When it was time, the clerk called Amelia’s name. She walked into that courtroom with her head high, though I could see her hands trembling.continue reading …