Could I?

It was never a question of "could I".

It had never crossed my mind to doubt my ability to do it. It probably should have, but it didn't. The situation would come up and I would just do it. It wasn't even that it was expected of me, it just wasn't something I doubted.  Others may have hesitated or spun into a cycle of soul searching but not me.

I just knew.
I could.
And it only mattered if I would.

As my hands closed over his throat and I watched the life drain from his eyes, I realised that I could and I would kill to protect my child.