“Don’t blame yourself,” the detective said gently. “Abusers are skilled at hiding addictions. They lie, manipulate, create elaborate cover stories. You’re not the first wife caught off guard—and you won’t be the last.”
More truths surfaced. His parents had known for years. They’d been covering for him since college, bailing him out and inventing excuses. When he met me, Deborah saw another source of money. Gerald admitted as much: “We thought marriage would calm him down. We thought a wife with steady income would help him manage.” Manage—as though addiction were a budgeting problem.
Read more on the next page ⬇️⬇️⬇️
