Spurred into action

'Right, well we have to take full advantage of him not being around, the sooner the better.'


'E-Exactly. I feel bad about it, b-because I know this puts extra p-pressure on Brie when she's not ready yet, a-and I'm not either, but...'

'Look, this is going to sound callous, but let her worry about her own situation. Just focus on yourself and those kids for now. Ellis was nice enough to agree to cover for me when you called, since we're not on patrol this time round. Nobody else is around here, so we can talk more freely. Have you found somewhere to go?'

'Only temporarily... A town just outside of here, there's a hotel. I... I can stay there for a bit.'


'What about money? Do you have a joint bank account, or are your finances separate?'

'Joint.'

'Right. Do not empty it. I understand that with the level of corruption on your side of things, that's going to make it a little more difficult, but his jurisdiction does not extend beyond the town, does it? Except for Sunset Valley, due to a particular partnership.'


'N-No. It's just Devil's Port... Though once he realises I'm gone, I don't trust him to - to just accept that regardless...'

'Understandable. But in a place where corruption is lower will make things more difficult for him, and therefore it is also advisable for you to act as by the book and legally as possible, and since this is going to result in a divorce, emptying the bank account could be considered a mark against you. Now, the kids. You're taking all of them, aren't you?'

'Of course! I couldn't leave any of them -!'


'- No, please, that wasn't meant to be a judgement or anything critical. I just wanted to double check, to make sure I'm fully understanding your situation from a legal perspective, because the inclusion of stepchildren will affect things.'

'...Oh... Sorry...'

'It's fine. Do you have parental responsibility for the twins? You need written consent from the biological parents if you don't, and you could say that you're worried about what would happen to them, if something happened to Abraxas. I mean, considering this man's fucking stupidity and sociopathy has already landed him in hospital multiple times now...'


'Oh, um, yeah. I got that sorted out shortly after our wedding. Abraxas was all for it because he could then palm most of the day to day responsibilities off on me, and well, Phaedra couldn't exactly protest...'

'Okay, good. That will be an enormous help, then. Have you been able to journal or otherwise keep a detailed and dated note of any recent abuse that took place before he was hospitalised?'

'...No... The - the thing is, I've never seen him be violent personally...'

'Right. Okay.'

'To be honest, I'm doubting if this is actually an abusive marriage. I - I mean, sometimes I wonder if I'm overreacting, but our kids saw violence.'


'You absolutely do need to get out of there, because it is clear that you and they are not safe, and an abusive relationship comes in many forms. He doesn't have to hit you to hurt you.'

'I guess...'

'Let me go through some questions with you. Does he frequently criticise your appearance or behaviour?'


'Sometimes...'

'Does he publicly make fun of you? Or humiliate you?'

'Not publicly. In - in public he's pretty nice to me. To all of us.'


'Okay, I'll bear that in mind. Does he call you names, or is he otherwise verbally abusive?'

'He calls me stupid sometimes, or - or tells me to, um, "shut the eff up".'

'Are you able to freely spend time with and communicate with members of your family?'

'...No, but that's not his fault. My dad's dead and my mum cut me off before we got married. He had nothing to do with it, M-Mum made the decision herself. I don't have any siblings... It was my own fault...'

'...Do you want to talk about it?'


'I - I don't want to go into all the details... I have an - an... addiction, a-and he, um, helped me out with it for a while, my s-stepdad. W-We had a brief affair. I hadn't grown up w-with him, I - I was already an adult when he was on the sc-scene, s-so it didn't feel as... gross. I - I mean, s-still wrong, I still f-felt guilty about it, b-because it was wrong. I - I just...'


'My mum found out and she - she was furious with us. K-Kicked him out and disowned me. I - I'm alone here, and it's all my fault... I - I don't want to be a homewrecker, a-and this addiction has c-come so close to ruining my life so many times already, I - I just, I know I shouldn't do these things, b-but it's like a c-compulsion, I just - I just - I just c-can't help it.'


'I r-really want the - the kids to have g-good role models about relationships... a-about love and sex, b-but... their dad's a pornstar a-and I'm a whore. What - what chance have they got?'


'...Once you're settled somewhere safe, you should look into therapy. Probably for all of you, actually, but it sounds like you definitely need it.'


'Is there really a point...? I'm a worthless tart already.'


'You're a mother. You've got young children who are extremely dependant on you, and you know what? Fuck your history, so you've made some big mistakes. So have I. I'm not saying this in a "your background is irrelevant and I couldn't give a shit" kind of way, I'm saying this to mean that you acknowledge that you've fucked up, are remorseful over it, and deserve to be able to move on and live happily.'


'I don't know what your formative years were like, or virtually anything about you, but what I do know is that you're trapped in a very precarious situation that you don't deserve. You have a chance to escape it, and I want you to fucking well take full advantage, because you deserve to be happy. You deserve to put your mistakes to bed, leave them in the past where they fucking well belong, and look to the fucking future with a safe and contented smile on your face.'


'Everybody does something they regret, and somebody who regrets their mistakes and does their damndest to avoid repeating them deserves another chance. Surrendering your life to this toxic "I'm a horrendous person who deserves every misfortune she gets" mindset will do nothing but make sure that the rest of your waking moments are torture.'


'Believe me, as someone with five centuries of regrets behind her, this is something I really fucking know about. Get therapy. Learn to control your compulsions and your addictions. Improve yourself. It's not as easy as I make it sound, I am very well aware of that, but you owe it to those children and yourself to fucking well try.'


'...Thank you...'

'You're welcome. Do you feel you're capable of continuing with this?'

'Not really, but I need to capitalise on the free time I have.'


'Alright. Are you anxious about going somewhere without your husband, in case he gets upset?'

'Yeah. I'm... pretty paranoid in general, honestly, whether it's at home or out. Everything's done a number on me...'

'Do you find yourself making excuses for his behaviour towards other people?'


'No. I try and carefully talk to him myself if he crosses the line and he tends to tell me it's not my business and I don't know what I'm talking about.'

'Have you told your children not to talk about what happens at home?'

'...Um. I - I've said not to talk much a-about his temper before, i-in case people get the wrong idea a-and think he's... you know...'

'Abusing them.'

'Th-That was before Indigo told me that he does hurt his kids... I just didn't w-want people to think that they were regularly screamed at or worse. L-Like I say, I n-never saw any violence. I didn't want the kids to mention him yelling at me and accidentally give someone the idea that he was hitting them...'


'It's a difficult situation, I understand. Has he ever made threats of suicide if you leave? Or other threats?'

'...No, but...'

'But...?'


'A-Again, when Indigo was telling me about h-how he treated her and his o-other, older kids... she - she told me that he once s-set up an elaborate fake s-suicide scene to frighten Wednesday with. I - I don't think it was meant to be a - a threat, m-more of...a prank, I think...'


'Jesus fucking Christ. Has he ever told you that if you leave, you can't take the children?'

'No. We've never had any conversations about splitting up at all. Any time he's been horrible, I've simply accepted it...'

'Okay. Has he ever forced you into any sexual situation that you did not consent to, or are you afraid to say no to sex?'


'No to both of those.'

'Are you regularly accused of flirting with or having relationships with other people?'

'No. I have slept with other people since we got married, but it's been agreed upon by both of us and the other person in question before. Plus, y'know, with Abraxas' job...'

'...Ah.'

'...Sorry, that was a little too much information, wasn't it?'


'It's... important to clarify, I suppose. Do you feel able to work, or does he object to you working?'


'He objects. He thinks that since he's employed and we're pretty financially well off, there's no need for me to go to work as well, especially since there's the kids to look after. I do kind of see his point, though...'


'Obviously, how comfortable parents will be with the idea of both of them working and children going to daycare or having a nanny or whathaveyou will differ from family to family, but considering a known abuser objects to the idea of you being in the workforce, in my opinion, that is a red flag. Having a job would give you a form of income that you could opt to put into a different bank account, if you so choose, away from where he can get to it.'


'Not to mention it would expose you to other people, your coworkers, who could possibly give you advice and assistance that he wouldn't want you to have. As in, a way out of your marriage. So perhaps you can see his point from a "I don't want a stranger raising my kids" perspective, but that does not mean that's the only reason for his protestations.'

'I guess...'

'Presumably, if you've never seen violence from him, then the answer to the question "has he ever physically hurt you" is a no? But has he ever thrown things?'


'Yeah... There's been a few occasions once in a while where he's completely lost his temper and thrown something at a wall.'

'Do you feel nervous or afraid for the safety of you and your children when he's angry?'

'I do...'


'Does he text you non-stop when you aren't with him?'

'Fortunately no. He does ask me what I was up to when I get home, though.'

'Do you feel capable of challenging him without feeling scared or anxious?'


'Not normally. The only exception was the last time, just before those... people broke in. Um, he's had a couple of his friends staying over because they're "down on their luck", but one of them's b-been so inconsiderate, she's kept the TV on really loudly late at night, s-so combine that with a newborn baby... I was so sleep deprived and frustrated that I snapped at Abraxas without fear of reprisal.'


'Although it didn't last very long. He replied to my complaints by telling me to "shut the eff up" and leaving, a-and then it was barely any time after that that Sam was telling us he'd found intruders...'

'So, if your son hadn't interrupted, do you think you would have regretted speaking up?'

'Probably...'

'Does the term "walking on egg shells" apply to your relationship, then?'

'Yeah...'


'Annalise. I have asked you eighteen questions on a checklist for domestic abuse, where just answering "yes" to one is a sign to start asking some real questions to yourself about the relationship and begin planning an exit. You answered "yes" to eleven. That is also taking a "yes" to your family situation, which he may not have caused, but damn well will capitalise on. Annalise, you may not be being beaten, but you are in an abusive marriage.'

'Oh Jesus Christ...'

'So I need you to do the following for me when you return. Grab any and all forms of identification for you and your children that you can. Driver's licence, your birth certificates, medical records, social security cards, credit or debit cards, checkings or savings account books, medical records for you and your kids, school records, passport, marriage certificate, custody papers. Can you make a note of this somewhere secure?'

'H-Hang on, I should have an app on my phone...'

'Alright.'




'Okay... Done.'

'Other important things you'll want will be any medications that you or your children need, items of sentimental value, extra pairs of clothing, house and car keys, emergency money - but again, without emptying your joint account - and preferably a pay as you go phone. Will you be able to get a burner phone quickly?'

'I could always buy one and say it's for one of the kids… Maybe Nem, as the oldest...'


'Okay. Do it. Focus on what I've just listed out for you now. Send me the name and the address of the hotel you're going to be staying at. Do you think you'd be able to leave tonight?'

'I don't know... It depends if I can find everything in time. Plus, I'm worried about friends of Abraxas' coming over. I - I'm really frightened...'

'Do what you can today. I'll see how fast I can travel to where you are, with other trusted people who can help you find what you need, keep an eye on anyone who might try to visit the house while you're searching, and escort you out.'


'Oh, no, you don't need to do that...'


'Too late, it's already decided. Look, I've been in your situation before, alright? I know how fucking hard this is. I'm going to help.'

'I don't know how I can thank you enough...'

'Thank me by getting the fuck out of there and looking after yourself and your kids.'

Sources:
Family Lives
Love is Respect
The Family Law Co