My estranged mother, who abandoned me at 11, recently called asking to move back in—claiming she’s terminally ill and wants to “fix things.” I refused, reminding her she didn’t raise me. She cried, called me cruel, and said I was her only child.

I didn’t think more of it until police showed up—my mother had collapsed on my front steps with her suitcases, after waiting there for hours. She’s now hospitalized. They asked if I was her emergency contact. I said no.

I feel guilty, but I’ve spent most of my life mourning a mother who chose to leave. Am I heartless for not letting her back in now?