Growing up in a divided household—one parent religious, the other atheist—left a fracture that shaped how I saw myself and the world. This piece explores how conflicting truths can split a child down the middle, and how early emotional contortions can echo through a lifetime. If you’ve ever felt like you had to become two different people just to survive, this is for you.

For years, I thought my struggles were proof that something was wrong with me. But what if they were just signs of how hard I was trying to survive in a world that never fit? What if you’re not broken — just brilliantly misread?