My stepbrother kj;cke;d me in the stomach. At my Marine promotion ceremony, bl;o0d stained my white belt. “You just ass;au;lted a Marine—she’s pre;gna;nt!” the general roared. 'She just lost the baby!' ... My name is Serena Waller, and at 19 years old, standing in my Marine Corps dress blues, I believed I had finally escaped hell. The promotion ceremony at Camp Lejeune was the pinnacle of honor, proof that I wasn't the invisible shadow my family had always wanted me to be. But as my name was cal

My brother pushed me out of my wheelchair at our family reunion. 'Stop faking for attention.' Everyone laughed as I lay on the ground. What they didn't know was that my doctor was standing right behind them. He cleared his throat and said five words that ended everything. ... 'Stop faking for attention,' he said, loud enough for the neighbors to hear. 'The act is getting old, Marcus.' I lay on the sunbaked concrete. My wheelchair was on its side, one wheel still spinning. My right leg was twiste