When survivors of psychological abuse truly begin to value the time they have in each day, their energy levels, emotional stability, financial security and/or physical health, the trauma bonding that occurs in toxic relationships begins to unravel. Once a survivor learns to value themselves, no amount of hoovering (sucking them back into the dysfunction) by an abuser will work. Recovery from psychological abuse is a process and has many stages to their journey. Valuing oneself over the demands of an abuser is a vital stage of recovery. It takes time to get to the point so survivors should not feel compelled to rush the process but know that better days are ahead.
Travis got up and walked to the door. I could see his body tense as he saw who was standing there, seemed like he wanted to just shut the door.
"Joy?" he spoke in shock trying to keep the door only cracked open. What? Why is she here?
"Is K.K. here?" She asked using the nickname she had given me when we were kids.
"Can I ask why you are asking for my sister when you left her when she needed her best friend the most?" Travis growled getting angry which was the last thing I needed to happen with Joy being pregnant.
"Trav, I've got this. Y'all go do the dishes, I'll be outside." I said shoving Travis away from the door and slipping out the door in the process.
I may be a cold person but stressing out a pregnant woman was not something that I wanted on my conscious.
"What do you want? The last time I checked you thought I was an overly dramatic, attention seeking, whore" I said without a trace of emotion in my voice or on my face.
She wouldn't get to see the way I really felt towards her.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry and that I should have been there for you. Maybe if I had been there you would've stayed" she responded quietly, not even bothering to look me in the eye.
"No, Joy, that's where you're wrong. I still would've left but because I needed a fresh start and that meant leaving the state I was born and raised in" I replied knowing what she was doing.
"Kas, can you forgive me for turning my back on you?" She asked with fake hope in her eyes.
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I knew when she was acting and since she was standing here acting like she really cared about me I knew that her parents had sent her here. They had made it relatively obvious that they wished she had been more like me in pursuing talents and things that they were interested in. They had reached out to me when I left to apologize for the way she treated me and they would always be there for me even if she wasn't.
"Yeah, I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago I just learned that you're not capable of handling my problems properly" I shrugged not really caring for the fake apology that was spilling out at my feet.
"And Sam can?" she replied in a loud voice stepping up to me.
"Yes, he can because he actually knows how it feels to be betrayed and wanting to end it all. Now please leave, Sam and I need to get ready for an Idol camera crew" I said with a smirk knowing that I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of slapping her, and walked back inside, shutting the door behind me before she could respond.
