Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

The last time I was with my husband he raped me. I think about being in a new relationship and wonder how my last sexual encounter will impact this new person I will love. I don’t even know if it is morally right to be with someone else because of how it will impact him. I want to be open emotionally which includes telling him what happened to me. What is he supposed to do with that knowledge? Will he only see my scars and broken parts after I tell him my truth? I feel like what the abuser did to me destroyed my future before it could even start.

A Valentine’s Day Letter to the Man I am Free of