u/ThirdStartotheRight

I have a lot of feelings about it.

As soon as I found out, I started planning how I could get into contact with her. Turns out she had just left him, she had survived FIVE. YEARS. Of him.

This connection has been incredible for me in a lot of ways and I'm so grateful to have gained a friendship in this woman. I am THRILLED she is out and safe. My experiences are so validated through our conversations and I'm healing so much. At the same time, knowing the exact same man is roaming around and doing the exact same thing to more women - and I would bet everything I own he will continue to do so - and there's so little I or anyone can do about it is frustrating to say the least.

The line between healing and triggering myself is so very fine. I was diagnosed with PTSD after what I experienced; after a lot of therapy and time (plus a beautiful marriage with my incredible, safe partner) I have improved so much, but it does take effort to ensure a memory doesn't become a true flashback where I feel I'm physicallg reliving it all over again. I am heartbroken and angry someone else went through this AND at over how calculated he was in choosing this person so that I could not warn them. We grew up in the same town, he waited several years until everyone we had mutually known had cycled through the local high school, and then took advantage of this woman almost as soon as she graduated.

I have a very open and public healing journey for a lot of reasons, but one of them has ALWAYS been that I hope someone who needs it sees themselves in my story. I will never regret speaking out or healing publically. My only regret is I was too late for my story to warn this woman.

That cree got ONE thing right about me all those years ago: I will never, ever shut up about this :)