“Dad… do you really think I did the right thing?”

I sat across from her.
“Choosing your dignity is always the right thing.”

Slowly, she began to open up.

“He checked my phone. Told me who I could see. Chose my clothes. And when we argued…” She paused, “…he always found ways to punish me without anyone knowing.”

My fists tightened under the table, but I stayed steady.
“Emily, all of that is abuse. And you’re not living in that anymore.”

We hired a lawyer who specialized in situations like hers. Emily was scared, but she also found strength she didn’t know she had. She even returned to her old bookstore job, where her coworkers hugged her like she’d come back from another world.

One afternoon, while sorting through boxes, she wrapped her arms around me from behind.