On the way to meet a friend in a nearby town last night, I spotted a car that appeared to have crashed onto a tree. I pulled up by the roadside and grabbed a few vehicle emergency kits.

The way I acted cool and collected as an adult, you would never have guessed I was tough as nails as a kid. It put me at a disadvantage in that I lost the ability to stand up for myself, or at least, could not recall how.

I was happily married until the closeness I shared with a male coworker made my husband blind with jealousy. He would pick me up at work unannounced, read my text messages and intercept my phone calls.

I woke up to the faint sound of footsteps coming from the roof. It was 3:00 a.m. I immediately got out of bed and looked outside but saw nothing.