I usually just smile and offer them a polite, noncommittal answer.
They don’t understand. They don’t understand that explosive anger, while intensely satisfying in the moment, is a fleeting, messy comfort. It is a temper tantrum that almost always costs you the war. It hands your power over to the person who hurt you, allowing them to dictate the terms of the fallout.
True power doesn’t roar. It doesn’t break dishes or scream in driveways. True power calculates. It observes. It waits in the shadows, gathering ammunition, meticulously building a trap so flawless, so inescapable, that the prey walks into it with a smile on their face.
Looking out over the calm waters, I realize that the most deafening, terrifying sound in the world isn’t a scream of rage; it is the absolute, terrifying silence of a woman who has already won.
If you want more stories like this, or if you’d like to share your thoughts about what you would have done in my situation, I’d love to hear from you. Your perspective helps these stories reach more people, so don’t be shy about commenting or sharing.
