Tear Away

Prelude

Prelude

"Did I ever tell you about my ex?" Scarlett looked over at Mark and waited for him to make eye contact with her before she continued. Her voice was low. "It finally ended about 6 months before I met you, and didn't last very long, but it was the most destructive experience I've ever been though. I moved here to get away and start my life again" She felt tears filling her eyes as the memories came flooding back, every nerve in her body tingled. She knew he was gripped as the volume on the television had been muted but she couldn't look at him. If she was to tell her story she would need every ounce of strength she had and none of that strength could be spared on making this easier on him.

"What happened?" His voice broke; he needed to hear this but already the story wasn't going the way he expected. He reached out and put a hand on her leg but felt her body tremble, he pulled it back and watched a tear run down her cheek.

"My ex," her voice was barely above a whisper but now she'd started she had to carry on. "He used... he used to sell... me to his... friends..." She paused as her eyes began to cloud, the words sank in he left out a gasp of surprise and moved away from her, along the sofa, not looking at her. She drew her knees up and curled into a ball. The tears were now flowing freely as she again saw her ex in front of her. She gasped for breath and waited for the tension to leave her body before continuing. "He manipulated me. He made me believe it was all I was good for." Her voice finally failed and she couldn't continue.

She was ashamed that she has let herself be used in that way but relieved that she had finally spoken the words that had haunted her for so long. She finally felt able to explain the reason why she pulled away from him, the reason why she was so hard on herself, and the reason why she always felt she was being punished. The past year had been filled with punishment but she'd been strong through it all. She had a strength that very few could understand and it was a strength that came from within. It was now the time to let someone help her carry her load.