Melissa

They just kind of hit it off and had so many similarities and similar problems.

They just kind of hit it off and had so many similarities and similar problems.

He was quite a bit younger than her, but you know, she had an interest and they had had some weird moments. He seemed to be reciprocal, but yet neither one of them had ever spoken about it and nobody had made a move. She said that she always felt that weird electricity whenever they were near each other or he was going through something.

He was quite a bit younger than her, but you know, she had an interest and they had had some weird moments. He seemed to be reciprocal, but yet neither one of them had ever spoken about it and nobody had made a move. She said that she always felt that weird electricity whenever they were near each other or he was going through something.

One day, they'd be best pals, and he would come up and say, hey, let's go sit out here and eat lunch together. And then maybe the next morning, he acted like she didn't even exist. So she was being driven crazy by this seeking out, pushing away, seeking out, pushing away, seeking out, pushing away.

One day, they'd be best pals, and he would come up and say, hey, let's go sit out here and eat lunch together. And then maybe the next morning, he acted like she didn't even exist. So she was being driven crazy by this seeking out, pushing away, seeking out, pushing away, seeking out, pushing away.

She's like, what do you do when they do this? Or what do you do when they do that? And I'm like, I don't know what you're supposed to do.

She's like, what do you do when they do this? Or what do you do when they do that? And I'm like, I don't know what you're supposed to do.

Pain has been both my burden and my teacher, breaking me open in ways I never wanted and shaping me into someone I never expected to become. As a teenager, my world fractured in an instant. My father, my anchor, was ripped away, not by death, but by his own betrayal. He was sent to prison for raping a teenage girl.

Pain has been both my burden and my teacher, breaking me open in ways I never wanted and shaping me into someone I never expected to become. As a teenager, my world fractured in an instant. My father, my anchor, was ripped away, not by death, but by his own betrayal. He was sent to prison for raping a teenage girl.

Pain has been both my burden and my teacher, breaking me open in ways I never wanted and shaping me into someone I never expected to become. As a teenager, my world fractured in an instant. My father, my anchor, was ripped away, not by death, but by his own betrayal. He was sent to prison for raping a teenage girl.

The man I looked to for protection became the reason I no longer felt safe or sure of who I was. It wasn't just the act he committed. It was the way it shattered everything I thought I knew about love, trust, and family. That wound didn't heal. It seeped into the fabric of my life, dictating the person I became.

The man I looked to for protection became the reason I no longer felt safe or sure of who I was. It wasn't just the act he committed. It was the way it shattered everything I thought I knew about love, trust, and family. That wound didn't heal. It seeped into the fabric of my life, dictating the person I became.

The man I looked to for protection became the reason I no longer felt safe or sure of who I was. It wasn't just the act he committed. It was the way it shattered everything I thought I knew about love, trust, and family. That wound didn't heal. It seeped into the fabric of my life, dictating the person I became.

The echoes of that betrayal followed me like shadows, coloring every decision I made, lingering over my shoulder, and even scaring away some who learned the truth. In my desperate need to find stability, to build a life that felt whole, I married a man who was battling his own demons. He was a secret addict and an alcoholic, someone who hid his pain while drowning it in substances.

The echoes of that betrayal followed me like shadows, coloring every decision I made, lingering over my shoulder, and even scaring away some who learned the truth. In my desperate need to find stability, to build a life that felt whole, I married a man who was battling his own demons. He was a secret addict and an alcoholic, someone who hid his pain while drowning it in substances.

The echoes of that betrayal followed me like shadows, coloring every decision I made, lingering over my shoulder, and even scaring away some who learned the truth. In my desperate need to find stability, to build a life that felt whole, I married a man who was battling his own demons. He was a secret addict and an alcoholic, someone who hid his pain while drowning it in substances.

When I learned of his struggle, I thought I could save him. I believed that what I went through early on would give me the strength to push through. Maybe, deep down, I thought saving him would somehow redeem the parts of my life I couldn't. But love cannot survive where it is consumed by unrelenting chaos. We bore a son together, my saving grace. I stayed with my husband until I couldn't anymore.

When I learned of his struggle, I thought I could save him. I believed that what I went through early on would give me the strength to push through. Maybe, deep down, I thought saving him would somehow redeem the parts of my life I couldn't. But love cannot survive where it is consumed by unrelenting chaos. We bore a son together, my saving grace. I stayed with my husband until I couldn't anymore.

When I learned of his struggle, I thought I could save him. I believed that what I went through early on would give me the strength to push through. Maybe, deep down, I thought saving him would somehow redeem the parts of my life I couldn't. But love cannot survive where it is consumed by unrelenting chaos. We bore a son together, my saving grace. I stayed with my husband until I couldn't anymore.