It Ends with Her

by Brianna Labuskes

Bess had vowed never to lose herself like that in someone else, to give up her identity, her thoughts, her passions, for something as fleeting as lust cleverly disguised as love. Once upon

What had proved even more insidious than the outright violence was the emotional abuse. He tested the waters with it. Tested to see how much she’d put up with. Little jabs and digs at first. The put-downs that were so neatly and precisely dressed as concern. But even when she knew it was happening, it didn’t stop her from internalizing it. From accepting it as truth, as the water scalded her degree by degree until she was so used to it she didn’t feel the blisters covering her skin. Suddenly there was

took strength to survive.

It was about who woke up every day in a world that made that decision a painful one, but did it anyway. It was about who made the choice to live when giving up would be so much easier. Yes, maybe she was broken because