I did one thing that mattered, because the whole experience showed me how common my situation is.
I started doing forensic financial work — some of it pro bono — for people who suspect they're being quietly robbed by a spouse or family member. The ones who feel the numbers don't add up but are told they're paranoid. The ones being set up to look like the thief. The ones whose trust has become the exact vulnerability someone is exploiting.
I know how it works now, from the inside. I tell them what I learned hiding in my own bathroom:
Trust is beautiful, and you should give it. But never stop auditing your own life. The people who love you should be able to survive your scrutiny — and the ones who can't survive it are exactly the ones you most need to apply it to.
My husband bought me a trip to Paris so he could rob me in peace.
