My mother-in-law locked me out in the rain while my mom was dying. “I changed the gate code,” she said. “For the kids’ safety.” I called 911. When police arrived, they laughed—and then told her something she never expected. The worst night of my life didn’t happen at the hospital. It happened when I came home soaking wet, exhausted, and realized I wasn’t allowed inside my own house. My name is Laura Mitchell. That week, my mother was dying. Stage IV cancer, nothing left to do but hold her hand a