“My mother had died. My stepfather was an abuser. I met Tom when I was eighteen after my stepdad assaulted me, and months after my mother had died. He said he would protect me and cherish me if I promised to be ‘his’ and move in with him. I didn’t understand what I was agreeing to at the time, nor did I really care, because I needed a way out. My relationship with Tom went from good to bad—quickly. I didn’t receive my inheritance money– until I was twenty-one, and by the time I was able to leave, it was too late. My choices were kind of limited, Derek. Be assaulted by my stepfather or be abused by my lover. I chose what I thought was the best choice out of bad options. But now, Tom knows what I know, he knows what I saw, and he won’t let me go. He either wants to force me to go back with h
