Author's Note: I was told not to publish this. I was told it would be difficult to those involved. I was even told that these people are victims too. That is the exact reason I MUST publish it. Being difficult to hear or admit to, does not negate that it happened. It simply confirms why it is so important for me to share my story. This is my truth and I will not be silenced.

Foreward: Readers looking for restraint will not find it here. Readers willing to sit with someone while a lifetime of longing spills out again and again until it finally exhales into a bruised, stubborn, almost inaudible hope, are welcome to stay.