Anon 010

At fifteen, she was approached by her boyfriend's brother-in-law, who was nearly twenty-two. She trusted his interest and kindness. He kissed her, promised they would have a future together and encouraged her to leave her boyfriend. He also tried to persuade her to become pregnant.

What followed included blackmail, emotional and verbal abuse, being pinned against a wall and having her phone smashed. When the situation became known, the family blamed her. She was the “outsider”, a slut, a homewrecker, a liar and a cheat.

She remained within that family environment for ten years, marrying her original boyfriend and having two children. The words used against her obscured how young she had been and how frightened she was to say no.

Her children give her grounding and strength. She wants people to understand that she was a child trying to navigate something she was not equipped to handle. She was not the monster the family made her out to be.