CHAPTER SEVEN: ONCE UPON A TIME

This is the chapter where I finally address my anger! …And, it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done. My anger, if you’ve listened to the previous chapters, you’ll know doesn’t live where anger is “supposed to” exist in the status quo victim narrative within the current conversation around rape culture. CHAPTER SEVEN: ONCE UPON A TIME is the sister chapter to CHAPTER EIGHT: HAPPILY EVER AFTER, and these two chapters examine the heartbreak and trauma that comes after betrayal. But while I did everything I could to responsibly honour my own experience in this chapter, the heartbeat of this piece begs for healing and reconciliation. It's also full of gratitude for the people I have felt safe enough to be angry with. Because at the end of the day, I believe that the female-identifying friendship is too sacred to break up due to something some dude did. So I release this chapter into the world with the utmost love and respect for all women. Because whether or not we were affected directly by sexual abuse, we all still play a huge role within this sticky narrative.