When Defending Yourself Becomes the Crime
I left my own house barefoot.
I didn’t grab my shoes. I didn’t grab my purse. I grabbed whatever I could reach and I walked out the door because I needed the accusations to stop, even for five minutes, even if it meant walking down the street barefoot while he followed behind me asking me to come back inside.
Why Innocent People Confess — And Why Abuse Survivors Understand It Better Than Anyone
I used to think I knew the answer.
How does an innocent person confess to something they didn’t do? How do you sit across from someone with authority and persistence and say yes, I did it, when you didn’t?
Explaining Made You Guilty. Silence Made You Guilty. Welcome to the Trap.
Two and a half hours. Photos. Text messages. A search for what he called "cheating apps." He went through everything. And he found nothing, because there was nothing to find.
It didn't matter.
I Called the Police So I Could Leave My Own Home
I was sitting on the bed in my guest room, heart racing, running through the same question on a loop.
How am I going to get out of here?
I Started Googling His Behavior to Make Sense of It
At some point, you start Googling things like, “Why is he acting this way?” and before you realize it, you are deep in articles, trying to make sense of what you are experiencing.
Why It’s So Hard to Leave Emotional Abuse (Even When You Know You Should)
When we talk about emotional abuse, one of the most common questions is:
“Why don’t you just leave?”
As if walking away from a life you’ve built is as simple as stepping out for air.