Excerpt 

It was a Wednesday evening, the air thick with an unspoken weight, as Thirl unleashed his scorn on me and my eldest son. His condemnation, sharper and more relentless than ever. Each cruel word a reminder of our perceived failings. A steady drip of his disappointment seeped into our

hearts, eroding whatever fragments of hope for a loving family remained.

The suffocating grip of his domination had tightened, The only semblance of purpose he clung to was tending to his hidden crops of marijuana on the riverbank and fishing alone in his own world, excluding us. He had stripped us of our dignity, trapped in an ongoing nightmare with no

escape in sight.

He now loomed over me like a shadow of dread, threatening my life if I dared to leave. Reggie, the eldest, was the only child Thirl would allow to remain. I sent my other two away to their father, a temporary refuge while I wrestled with what my marriage had become, a secret I couldn't share with anyone. Not even my own family. They couldn't see the man behind the façade-the creature who had reduced me to a silent victim. If I

revealed the depths of my torment, I would be compelled to act, and the thought paralyzed me with fear.

That night, I fled outside, tears streaming down my cheeks as I cried out to God in desperation. "I can't go through this any longer; please, I need your help!" I concealed my sorrow among the leaves, for Thirl had made it clear he would not tolerate any weakness. His wrathful behavior no longer surprised us; it had become a disturbing rhythm in our home, but this time, his cruelty appeared sharper, more suffocating.