"He took up a lot of space. Moving around us. Weaving in and out of the aisles. Some ladies were annoyed. An old man behind us snickered and under his breath said, ‘hurry up.’"
"There are graphic photos of my face, and of the man who did this to me, my long-term ex-boyfriend who I was devoted to. A man who is trained day in and day out to kill efficiently and swiftly."
“I remember standing at the kitchen counter and the next memory is me opening my eyes and I’m lying on something red. I sat up and felt shattered glass falling on my chest from my face… I ran my hand down my chin and under my jaw where I felt something snag my finger.”
"I screamed ‘MY SISTER DIED!’ and I chucked a cup of water across the room. A wave of relief washed over me as I thought now that my sister is gone, there was no way God would take my husband too."
"The kids are happy but the house is a disaster. We take time for ourselves but the house suffers and the kids aren’t happy. It’s a struggle that doesn’t seem to have an answer. The scenario may vary a little but we are all in the weeds. We are all trying to drive clutch without a manual and the start-stop of motherhood can be difficult to navigate."
"I just cried ‘God?!’ Tears poured down my face. ‘Just take my whole life. I can’t handle any of it anymore. If you are who you say you are, now is the time."
"A little while later, he made a beeline back to us. He looked straight at me and said, 'I want to tell you something.' My eyes immediately flooded with tears."
"In a puddle of my own blood, he left me in the dark—barely 20 paces from a main road. For all he knew I was dead...This is real. This did happen. It does happen."
