Then the messages started arriving.
Some came from numbers I didn’t recognize. Others came from people who had once called Cassidy a friend.
They urged her to reconsider her statement, to think about the children, and to keep the matter private.Find Family Lawyer
One message warned that a public investigation would make life difficult for everyone.
I showed the messages to Santos and our attorney.
Cassidy read them from her hospital bed, her face growing paler with every line.
“They still expect me to protect him,” she whispered.
I sat beside her.
“You don’t owe him your silence.”
For years, Cassidy had tried to keep the peace. She had explained away Trent’s temper, made excuses for his behavior, and convinced herself that perhaps things would improve if she were more careful.Find Hospitals
Now she was beginning to understand that no amount of carefulness could make an abusive person safe.