The questions onlookers most frequently ask cult survivors sound just like the ones people asked me about Mr. Backpack: “Why did you ever get involved with him? Didn’t you see the signs?” and then, “Why didn’t you just leave?” I was aiming for True Love. But my youthful, romcom-conditioned optimism made me vulnerable, unable to clock the differences between romance and control, passion and chaos. All I knew was that Mr. Backpack had a sage look in his eyes and lots of promises, and I felt brave for chasing a love others might not.
