1. The Unaskable Question
“Why did you stay?”
The question cuts deeper than the bruises.
Not because it’s cruel—
but because it oversimplifies what was never simple.
Philosophical: Love doesn’t follow logic when survival is involved.
Psychological: The brain finds ways to justify pain to preserve attachment.
Social: The world demands explanations instead of offering understanding.
Soul: The soul stayed not for fear, but for hope.
Mythic: The spell doesn’t break until the mirror cracks.
Rhythm: Gentle start. Then spiraling inward.
2. Seeing the Ache
“You see the cracks where the light leaks in.”
Love begins with compassion, not blindness.
You see his brokenness—and mistake it for truth.
Philosophical: Empathy can blur boundaries when pain looks holy.
Psychological: Childhood wounds seek to mend themselves in others.
Social: We are praised for loving the unlovable—even when it costs us ourselves.
Soul: The soul wants to be a healer, even when it’s bleeding.
Mythic: The wounded boy behind the beast.
Rhythm: Slow. Tender. Almost reverent.
3. Missing the Wolf
“You forget the teeth.”
He didn’t arrive with fangs bared.
He arrived gentle—so you forgot what hunger can look like in human form.
Philosophical: Danger concealed is harder to confront.
Psychological: Familiarity numbs the instinct to flee.
Social: Charm is often confused for character.
Soul: The soul softens where it should guard.
Mythic: The wolf dressed in warmth.
Rhythm: Coiled. Watching.
4. The Illusion of Safety
“They laugh with you at noon, make eggs in the morning…”
Abuse doesn’t always scream.
Sometimes, it sings.
It soothes.
It seduces.
Philosophical: Evil wears masks to move freely.
Psychological: Good moments become currency for denial.
Social: Shared tenderness becomes the proof you use to stay.
Soul: The soul memorizes both the kiss and the slap.
Mythic: The prince who only turns to monster at dusk.
Rhythm: Soft. Domestic. Disarming.
5. The Curse Breaking
“The bottle breaks its seal like a curse being spoken.”
The transformation doesn’t come with lightning.
It comes with a sigh.
A drink.
A shift in the air.
Philosophical: Repetition turns cruelty into ritual.
Psychological: The cycle becomes a rhythm too familiar to break.
Social: Drunkenness is both excuse and accusation.
Soul: The soul flinches before the blow that hasn’t landed.
Mythic: Jekyll slipping into Hyde at the sound of glass.
Rhythm: Slow build. Then sudden crash.
6. The Lullaby of Hope
“Hope is a lullaby sung by a snake.”
Hope becomes the enemy.
A sugar-coated lie
you cling to because the truth burns too much to touch.
Philosophical: Hope can be a drug when detached from reality.
Psychological: The mind uses fantasy to survive what the body fears.
Social: Women are taught to forgive, to fix, to stay.
Soul: The soul is lulled into forgetting how to run.
Mythic: The serpent speaking in sweetness.
Rhythm: Slithering. Sweet. Slow poison.
7. The Repetition of Lies
“He’ll be better tomorrow. He didn’t mean it.”
The phrases are a catechism.
You recite them like scripture—
until they become your faith.
Philosophical: Language builds belief—even if the belief is false.
Psychological: Repetition forms patterns the brain mistakes for truth.
Social: Culture romanticizes endurance more than freedom.
Soul: The soul adopts captivity as devotion.
Mythic: The gospel of denial.
Rhythm: Chant-like. Lulling.
8. The Gospel of the Cage
“They become your rhythm. Your gospel. Your cage.”
You built the prison brick by loving brick.
But you didn’t know that’s what you were building.
Philosophical: Love becomes the trap when pain is disguised as purpose.
Psychological: Trauma wires the brain to stay loyal to its captor.
Social: People rarely see the bars you live behind.
Soul: The soul forgets it can leave when it’s convinced it was made to stay.
Mythic: The sacred vow turned into shackles.
Rhythm: Fixed. Marching in place.
9. The Tremble of Realization
“You see your hands trembling, offering pieces of yourself…”
It comes not as rage—
but as sorrow.
Not with a scream—
but with a tremble.
Philosophical: Self-sacrifice can be holy—or it can be self-erasure.
Psychological: Your body knows before your mind accepts.
Social: Women are taught to give, even to their own depletion.
Soul: The soul looks down—and sees what it’s lost.
Mythic: The offering at the wrong altar.
Rhythm: Fragile. Bare. Heartbeat in silence.
10. The Hunger That Returns
“And he—he keeps coming back for more.”
It was never about partnership.
It was about consumption.
He didn’t love you.
He fed on you.
Philosophical: Some loves are not love—they are hunger.
Psychological: Predators return when the door is still open.
Social: Abusers rely on the patterns they’ve taught you to uphold.
Soul: The soul begins to recognize the appetite that never loved it back.
Mythic: The vampire at the threshold, always invited in.
Rhythm: Slow ending. Chilling stillness.
Final Image
Not every cage has bars.
Not every predator has fangs.
But one day,
you stopped singing his gospel
and started listening to the tremble in your own hands.
And that
was the beginning of freedom.
Get Your Power Back
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you are not alone. There are organizations that can provide support, guidance, and a way out:
Emergency Support
- National Domestic Violence Hotline (U.S.) – Call 800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788. Available 24/7.
- Emergency Services – Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
Support and Counseling
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – Call 800-656-4673 or visit rainn.org for confidential support.
- Love Is Respect – Call 866-331-9474, text “LOVEIS” to 22522, or chat online at loveisrespect.org for help in unhealthy relationships.
Legal and Shelter Assistance
- The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) – Find resources at ncadv.org.
- Local Domestic Violence Shelters – Many communities have shelters and crisis centers that can provide emergency housing and legal support.
Healing and Recovery
- Therapy and Support Groups – Seek a licensed therapist specializing in trauma and abuse recovery.
- Books and Online Communities – Reading about others’ experiences and joining support groups can provide strength and guidance.
If you are struggling, please reach out. There is a life beyond abuse, and you deserve peace, safety, and love—without conditions.
Allow yourself to feel the anger, the grief, the fury at the thought that he believed he could strip you of your dignity. Because one day, he will have to answer for his sins—and you will be free to walk away, unshackled, into the life you were always meant to have.
J.N. Rose 