There are chapters of our lives we never wanted to live through.
Chapters filled with fear, betrayal, manipulation, violence, and loss. Chapters that changed how we see ourselves, how we trust others, and how safe the world feels.
After abuse, it is natural to keep returning to those pages.
We replay conversations, searching for the moment everything changed. We question what we missed, what we could have done differently, and whether any of it could have been prevented. Sometimes we reread the pain because part of us believes that if we finally understand it, we might be able to change the ending.
But the ending has already been written.
What happened was not your fault. You did not deserve the abuse, and you do not have to keep reliving it to prove that it mattered.
Healing does not mean forgetting the last chapter. It means learning from it without allowing it to become your entire story.
You may never receive the apology you deserve. You may never get an honest explanation. The person who hurt you may never accept responsibility. But if your peace depends on their accountability, they still control part of your life.
Closure is not always something another person gives you. Sometimes closure is the decision to stop waiting for them to become who they should have been.
Turning the page does not erase what happened. It does not excuse the person who harmed you, minimize your pain, or pretend the scars are not real. It simply means you are no longer willing to let yesterday write every sentence of tomorrow.
Your next chapter may begin quietly.
It may begin with setting one boundary, asking for help, reconnecting with someone you trust, or believing for the first time that you deserve something better. You do not need to know how the whole story ends. You only need the courage to write the next line.
Your story is bigger than the chapter that hurt you.
There are still pages ahead filled with peace, laughter, purpose, safe love, and moments you cannot yet imagine.
You survived that chapter.
Now give yourself permission to turn the page.
RADV — Riders Against Domestic Violence
We Are the Bridge.