Mother Had Me Co-sign At 18 With A Promise Of Paying, But Never Did. Am I Screwed?

Hello, this is a bit of a long one and requires some background.

My mother is someone that has always had a terrible drug problem. I was taken away from her in the second grade because the conditions were dangerous. My father also had a bad drug addiction which eventually took his life in 2016. After leaving my mom in the 2nd grade, she ran off the a city a few hours away from my hometown. I was always EXTREMELY close with my mom, as I had a lot of medical issues since birth and was with her at all times. This is to say, even after leaving her home, I always longed for my mother to be in my life. This led to a very long pattern of false-promises, false hope, and heartbreak. No matter how many times my mom lied to me, broke promises, or I was warned to expect less from my mother growing up, I gave her an infinite number of chances, which shes always abuse. Well, in the 9th grade my father kicked me out of the house after he broke into a rage having to do with the drugs he was selling out of our home. At this point I was considered a homeless teen living between my grandmother and step-grandmother. When I was 18 my mother finally moved back to my hometown with the assurance that she finally got clean. She was looking for an apartment for herself, me, and my younger sister. She found a place and assured me she could afford it. While this was back in 2015, I cannot remember the specific details for the life of me. But, she needed a co-signer in order for us to get the apartment. Of course, this again came with up and down promises of paying rent on time, that I wont have to pay a penny, its just so we can move in, she would never screw me over, etc etc. I know- I should not have trusted her, but I was desperate for a stable, consistent home, and desperate for my mom to be back in my life. Eventually, I found out she was not paying the rent and we were evicted. We were then again "homeless" living in her friends basement. As tensions grew, I eventually moved out and got a 3-bedroom apartment with my friends. 3 or so years later, my friends moved out of the apartment and my mom was once again homeless. This time with my younger sister. As such, she begged me to move into my newly vacant apartment with my sister. The rent was SUPER cheap there considering we lived in Upstate New York. She again promised that especially since its much cheaper it wont be like the last time, and how shell pay her share of the rent. This time, we had separate leases. So I was paid up on my rent. I wanted to protect my sister. So when my mom stopped paying rent again, I start working two full time jobs to support the 3 bedroom apartment. While living here, my mother also stole a LOT of money from me and I later found out she was using drugs in the home. Eventually, I moved out after arranging a place for my younger sister with another family member. Since then I've learned my lesson and have maintained minimal contact with my mother.

This disposition is to state that my mother was a very inconsistent and manipulative person, and this is well known by my entire hometown and family. My mother's last name (we have different ones) is known in the area. Now, 10 years later, I wake up to a voicemail from a lawyer of our landlord from that apartment we were evicted from 10 years ago. Looking for my mother and myself (under a different name, as my name has been legally changed since) I am currently sick and lost my voice, so I didn't pick up the call, nor have I been able to call my mother or anyone else in my family. I know I shouldnt have signed that paper, but I was 18, naive, and desperate. Do I have ANY options to protect myself? If we were able to somehow locate my mother and have her accept responsibility, can it be kept at that? I am 27 now, at university on the west coast after finally getting ahold of my self, processing my trauma in therapy, and getting on my feet. I feel defeated and haunted by a ghost of my past.