My husband controlled and ab:us:ed me every day. One day, I fainted. He rushed me to the hospital, putting on a perfect act: “She fell down the stairs.” But he didn’t expect the doctor to notice signs that only a trained eye could catch. He didn’t ask me anything — he looked straight at him and called security: “Lock the door. Call the police.”

with her during this, knowing how much it meant for Hannah to have her support. It was the kind of love and loyalty Hannah had never taken for granted, and she clung to it in the days before the trial.

On the morning of the trial, Hannah woke early, her stomach a tight knot of nerves. She had gone to bed exhausted the night before, but sleep had been continue reading …