“Fell right down the stairs.

She bruises so easily, poor thing.”

It is a very old script, the one she was reading from.

The abuser who narrates the injuries of the person they have injured, smoothly, with practiced concern, counting on the victim’s shame and shock to keep her silent.

It works, most of the time.

It has worked on countless women in countless intake rooms.

Wendy had every reason to believe it would work on me, because for three years I had let her control every room she entered.