- 7.
Before becoming a lawyer, my friend Anya
studied psychology for two years.
She coaxed me along, and I broke down.
I told her everything that had happened for
the last few years.
She felt bad.
And she couldn’t believe that I, who had
always been good at talking, couldn’t put a
simple sentence together.
She hugged me tight, warming my cold body.
L
She said, “We can’t let them get away with
this!”
“Are you going to let that bad woman turn
your son into a monster?”
“She’s teaching him to call his mom a whore.
What will he become in the future? Have you
thought about that?”
I shook my head.
“No… I don’t want that.”
My friend stared into my eyes.
“Then you can’t keep falling like this. You
have to listen to me. I will help you take back
everything that’s yours. You have to trust
me!”
I was crying.
Everything that was mine?
I had forgotten how proud I used to be.
My friend wanted to take me away, but Ryan
said no.
He said that I was his wife and needed to
<
stay with him.
Since my friend didn’t have any evidence, she
had to leave me at Ryan’s house.
When she left, she told Ryan that she would
punish him if he treated me badly.
Ryan started to treat me better.
Maybe it was because of what my friend said,
or maybe he felt bad.
I didn’t hide in the dark storage room
anymore.
I came out to walk. When my emotions got
too strong, I asked Ryan to take me to a
psychologist.
He said yes.
Sometimes he held my hand and took me to
the doctor. The reporters would take pictures.
This proved that my injuries were self-
inflicted.
I worked with the doctor, and I started to see
a little light.
く
But when everything was getting better,
something happened.
