After 32 years of living in emotional chaos, control, and manipulation, I didn’t realize how deeply I had normalized it—how much I had shrunk myself to survive.
Around Christmas, I was still in a very dark place. I had tried everything—reaching out, even facing threatening emails from a family member—desperately trying to be heard. I spoke to my psychologist and said I wanted to stop the restraining order. That’s how confused I was. That’s how deeply trauma bonding can hold you.
But then something unexpected happened.
I had been talking to a kind gentleman who lived overseas. He told me he was coming to Spain for a short time, and I made a bold decision. After everything—after years of walking on eggshells, after the deafening silence from people I once called family—I decided to meet him, after all my husband had told me back in April 2024 that he had a girlfriend in Benissa.!
It was only a few days. But in those days, I was shown something I hadn’t felt in decades:
💛 Kindness without a hidden agenda
💛 Conversations without gaslighting
💛 Smiles that didn’t mask cruelty
💛 A glimpse of what life could look like… outside of abuse
That brief window of peace cracked open something in me. It was the beginning of real healing.
🛠️ Then Came the Deep Work
After that visit, I committed myself to healing. With the help of two amazing psychologists, I began to unpack the last 32 years of my life. I pulled out old journals, relived painful memories, and began preparing a full report for my court case.
The messages from him and his sister? They were filled with contradictions. Their stories didn’t add up. But my journals? My truth? They were consistent. Clear. Raw. And finally—I could see me again in those pages.
🌱 The Healing Has Begun
That time with someone kind didn’t “save me.” I saved me. But it did show me that kindness still exists, and that I didn’t imagine what was missing in my life for so long.
Since then, therapy has helped me step out of survival mode and into a space of self-respect, clarity, and peace. There’s still work to do. But now, I’m doing it from a place of power—not fear.
To anyone still caught in the fog of abuse: There is life on the other side. Even if it starts with one moment of peace, one kind word, one new connection—you deserve to feel safe in your own skin.
You are not broken. You are waking up. And that’s something to be proud of. ❤️
