I remembered moments when I too had swallowed a question because challenging Brandon seemed exhausting.

The similarity disturbed me.

My silence had not produced a forged signature, but it had helped him believe that objections would fade if he sounded certain enough.

I started meeting with a counselor who specialized in financial abuse and coercive relationships.

At our first session I apologized for being there.

I said other people had fewer resources, more immediate dangers, and no private trust to fall back on.

The counselor asked why I believed access to money made humiliation harmless.