[Trembling, she just barely got the tea mug to an open space on her nighttable--which was a good thing, because with her hands shaking and her eyes filling with tears, holding a mug of hot liquid was not the best of ideas at that moment. Determined not to start crying again, she gritted her teeth and rubbed at her eyes to get rid of the tears before they could fall.]

Don't do this. Don't--don't make me try to choose, don't make me try to decide what's more important, not now, not after--I know they need me! Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I think about it every day, how it sounded when he threatened to feed my mother to a cat? I can't--why would you say that? Isn't it an awful enough choice I have to make already, without you telling me to forget you and go away?