One of the Lucky Ones

By the time A.E. meets Don at a friend’s party, she has accepted that she will always be the bridesmaid and never the bride. But a friendship quickly turns into something more, and soon her dreams of marriage and children are within reach – dreams really do come true! There is a beautiful wedding, followed by two beautiful babies and the start of A.E.’s teaching career.

She is sure that the loud, explosive fights are just evidence of the passion in their relationship. They always make up, of course, and he always apologizes and swears that he loves her. Things will improve, they must – they are in love, and on the cusp of an exciting future together.

Things do not improve, however – in fact, they get much worse. A.E. struggles to accept that she is a victim of domestic violence – unable to admit it to herself, she is too embarrassed to confess the truth to her family and friends, let alone ask for help.