Today Mason is five years old and lives a happy, peaceful life surrounded by love and stability. I never remarried, because I learned that peace does not require another person to exist.
With part of my money, I created a foundation to support women leaving abusive relationships, helping them rebuild their lives with dignity.
Sometimes I sit quietly in the evening and think about the woman I used to be.
I wish I could tell her that she was not meant to break. She was meant to wake up.
Because the real prize was never the money. It was discovering that I could save myself, and build a life no one could take from me.
