Elizabeth's Story

Jordan's POV:

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING: ABUSE AND SA⚠️

I guess you're all waiting for my life story. The reason to why I know what Liz is going through, there isn't much to tell but here it is:

It all started when I was 7 years old, my mom just died and I was living with  my step-dad. I didn't know my real dad, my mom always said he was a bad person and an even worse dad, so she left him. 

It was the day after my mom's funeral. Jeremiah, my step-dad, was beyond drunk. He's been like that ever since she died and I was still so young, I didn't know why he was angry.

He told me it was my fault that she died, even though she died from breast cancer. The worst part was that I believed him, I was 7 and I believed that I killed my own mom.

Jeremiah's been there ever since I could remember, so the first time he hit me I thought it was an accident. Then when he hit me again, I told myself it was my fault. I'm the one that killed my mom so I deserved it. When he started touching me in parts that he shouldn't touch, I thought it was normal. I was convinced that every dad did it. 

He wouldn't only hit and assault me, he'd throw things at me, lock me in a basement, put out his cigarettes on my arm, kick me, you name it, he did it all.

It wasn't always like that though, before my mom died he was the perfect father figure. He taught me a lot of things, like how to fish and play baseball. I was happy and safe.

It wasn't until I went to Dante’s house, that I realized nobody should be treated like that. The Russo family showed me that the way I was living wasn't right. 

Jeremiah hit me so badly one day that I couldn't walk for 3 days straight. I told Dante the next day at school and his dad took me in.

I never saw Jeremiah again, growing up and hearing about the mafia, I knew what happened to him and I didn't care.

Sometimes even to this day, I still find myself thinking that what happened to me was my fault, that I made my mom sick.

I hear his voice in my head telling me to 'suck it up' and to 'be a man'. A phrase used so often that even as a little kid I knew what it meant, I wasn't supposed to feel pain, I was supposed to be strong. After all, I am a man. 

Even though I took my mom's name, I'm a Russo, proud of it too.

When I heard Liz was coming back I was thrilled, she had been missing for 12 years and I could tell her brothers missed her. I missed her too, I don't remember much but I can still hear her giggling when she played hide and seek and I remember her big heart even at the age of 2.

I guess that's what happens when time goes by, people change and get hurt. I was abused for 3 months and at the age of 19 it still haunts me. 

I can see the pain and trauma every time I look in lizs' eyes. She reminds me of me, when my mind was corrupted at a young age because the people that were supposed to love and protect me failed.

With abuse I know the signs, I've experienced them. Liz shows them, I know she was abused, I just don't know who abused her. 

Enzo told me that her mom and step-dad are in jail, likely on the way to prison. I'm betting they abused Liz, they seem like the type, care more about getting high then they do their own daughter. 

I hope I'm wrong about her or else this world's gonna see some extremely angry older brother's.

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Author's note:

I feel like it's important to address one of the issues that the people in society today face.

Men are expected to be the providers and the protectors. If they show any emotion that could be seen as vulnerability, they're called weak.

Society has made it to where men are afraid to show their emotions because they're expected to be strong and brave all the time.

What unrealistic expectations those are. To never be scared and to always be strong, that's dehumanizing.

We all share the same emotions, no matter what gender you are. 

If you're a male reader, I want you to know that it's okay to show your emotions. 

And if any of my readers need to talk to someone about anything, good or bad. I'm here if you need me, please message me. Don't keep it to yourself, no matter what gender you are.

Also from now on when I say brother's I mean Lizs' biological brother's and her brother's friends.