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.”

nodded, forcing a smile. “I think so.”

But the truth was, she wasn’t sure. The thought of seeing Ryan again, of hearing him speak—of him sitting there, trying to spin his lies—made her insides twist. She had been able to move on, to build a life that was finally her own. But today, she would have to face him. The man who had broken her, the man who continue reading …