I was ashamed that I put up with Julián’s abuse, and more ashamed still that I always forgave him. I was shackled by our sexual passion and the belief that I’d be lost without him. How would I provide for the kids? How would I face society and my family after a second failure? How would I live down a reputation as a woman cast aside? I’d broken my marriage and defied the world to be with Julián; I couldn’t accept that the story I’d told was a lie.
