Leaving wasn't the hardest part. Staying gone was. Because the truth is, healing doesn't happen in a straight line. There were nights I questioned everything - if I made the right choice, if I broke my family, if I could really do this alone. But then I'd see my child laughing again - really laughing - and I'd remember why I left. Peace doesn't always come right away, but it always follows truth. And I promised myself we'd never live in a home where love had to hurt to exist.