A Way Out

05/28/2026

Raising our daughters to know their own value and know how to say 'no' is one of the best things we can do as parents. https://carolineabbott.com/2013/06/how-should-we-raise-our-daughters/

05/28/2026

Sometimes survival convinces us that the life we are living now is the only life that exists. The walls feel permanent, the grief feels permanent, and the exhaustion feels permanent.

But seasons change.
Doors open.
Circumstances shift.
We become people we never imagined we could become.

Keep holding on.
Not because you have to stay where you are, but because you don't.

꩜ Ella

05/28/2026

🚨 TRIGGER WARNING: Domestic Violence / SA / Grooming

“I KNEW HE WAS GOING TO END MY LIFE ONE DAY.”

I was 16 when I met him.

Older.
Funny.
Charming.
He bought me new phones, expensive shoes, jewelry, clothes from the mall… everything a teenage girl thought meant love.

Everyone thought I was lucky.

What they didn’t see was me hiding in stores while he drove up and down the streets looking for me after I escaped the apartment.

Or the safe word I created with my best friend because I was terrified of what would happen if he caught me trying to leave again.

“My head hurts.”

That sentence meant:
“Please come get me before he hurts me.”

He locked me inside bedrooms.
Broke my phones.
Tracked where I went.
Threatened su!cide.
Controlled everything.

And every time he hurt me, he’d buy me something after.

That’s when I started realizing the gifts weren’t love.
They were apologies wrapped in shopping bags.

But the night he cut the clothes off my body…
the night he recorded what he did to me…
I knew this was never going to stop.

I knew one day he was going to k!ll me.

Read my full story:
https://breakthesilencedv.org/?p=18711

If you have a story to tell, share your story:
https://breakthesilencedv.org/?page_id=16824

💔 What’s something you once mistook for love… that you later realized was control?

05/28/2026

Yes. Sometimes, the kindest thing we can do for our children is leave the abuse. I tried to stay for the kids, but realized my kids might become abusive themselves, or marry someone who was. I wanted better for them. And, sadly, the abusive parent might get some parenting time due to ignorance in the Family court system but spending even some time with you alone will teach them what healthy looks like. https://carolineabbott.com/2019/03/how-the-abuse-you-receive-affects-your-kids/

05/28/2026

What happens when trauma is your safe space and chaos is your normal? 🤍💗 Dangerous people feel like home and peace feels like boredom. You have to recondition yourself to become addicted to peace instead.

05/28/2026

Image-based survivors deserve support in their healing, not blame, indifference, or systems that fall short.

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

Many victims and survivors of abuse have to represent themselves in court, and WomensLaw is here to help, with free information explaining every step of the process.

Learn more about how to introduce or "call" a witness during your court case: https://buff.ly/T03R1KT

[Image description: Text reads: "I’m representing myself in court. How do I introduce a witness? Before you introduce (“call”) a witness, confirm what they will say to help your case, and whether they are willing to testify in court. When you’re ready to call your witness in court, generally, you will say: “Your Honor, I call my witness, [name].” Your witness will be sworn in, and then you can begin your questioning. Visit WomensLaw.org to learn more and speak with our team on the free WomensLaw Email Hotline." The WomensLaw and NNEDV logos are at the bottom, reading: "WomensLaw.org a project of NNEDV National Network to End Domestic Violence."]

05/28/2026

After the murder of someone by an abusive partner, it may feel like you’ll never get over the loss. Tips from a grief expert on navigating the grieving process.