Flick

When she left an abusive partner, friends struggled to reconcile her experience with the man they enjoyed spending time with. She heard that it could not have been that bad, because he was so much fun.

She moved away and built a career, but felt like a shell of the woman she had been. Around ten years later, she learned he was moving to the town that had become her refuge. When she contacted him hoping to resolve what had happened, he called her crazy and denied beating her, despite the hospital documentation she says existed.

She left again, spending time in an unfinished caravan without water, a toilet or lighting, and later moving abroad. Some people from their shared past still describe her as a liar, delusional or crazy. Their disbelief remains a betrayal.

She wants people to understand that someone can be charming to friends and abusive to a partner behind closed doors. Her life also holds art, writing, activism, animals, forests and travel. She is happier now and places less weight on other people's judgements, although the hurt has not simply disappeared.