my sister came to me with a woman who was in danger. know what the woman said to me when i thanked her for being so brave to leave her abuser?

i know a girl who has been abused by her boyfriend. he’s been using her for money. he’s raped her twice. he’s even choked her. the police did nothing. these days he’s been orchestrating a smear campaign around her, spreading lies about her. one of the lies he’s been spreading is that she’s been cheating on him.<br><br>anyway it’s best if you know her as B. today B was discussing an idea she had about getting revenge on her abuser. my sister said that he’s too much of a coward to try anything, and that if B were to get her revenge he’d just use it as fuel for more of his disgusting lies. so then my sister asked B to come with her. so B came to my workplace.<br><br>it’s not the first time i’ve met B. i met her a few months ago and even then she was telling me about her abuse. i discussed with her a way for her to get protection, but she ended up doing nothing.<br><br>so B comes in and my sister leaves. B tells me that she wants to get a restraining order for her abuser. i agree to help her but first i tell her to tell me what happened. so she tells me that he raped her twice, choked her, used her for money and ran a smear campaign against her. i felt my stomach turn as soon as she started talking. i don’t even know how she’s able to tell that story, i guess it helps that it’s in the past. i told her that i’m sorry that she had to go through that, and that i’m glad she’s out of his hands. she said that it’s all thanks to me that she’s out of his hands. i said she’s been brave.<br><br>she just looked at me and said that she owes her freedom to me. she wouldn’t have left him if it weren’t for me. i don’t even know what i said to make her leave. i just told her my opinion. know what she said to me?<br><br>“you listened to me.”<br><br>that floored me. that’s all the abuse victim needed to make the decision to leave. just someone to listen to them.<br><br>i feel so happy and relieved and guilty all at once. i feel like i should’ve done more to help her and that i’m scum for feeling happy about this. she’s still sharing her story with others. i’m just so proud of her.<br><br>by the way i was the only woman at my workplace today. every other worker was a man. B told me her story in front of all of them and they did nothing. they just sat there like they weren’t even in the room. the only reaction from any of them was this bitchy stare one of them gave me. i feel like shaking them all and yelling at them. how could they just sit there? they heard what my sister said. they heard what B said. they knew exactly what was going on. they knew B had been horribly abused. they did nothing. they looked at me like i was the problem.<br><br>so after B told me everything i told her that she’s very brave. i told her that she did the right thing in leaving him. she smiled and said that she couldn’t have done it without me, then left to get the restraining order.<br><br>last time i saw her she looked so dead inside. she had no emotions whatsoever. today she looked much better. she looked happy even. i’m so proud of her.