On June 14 , 2017 By fireball790In relationshipsLeave a comment I have been given this amazing gift . The gift of forgiveness . The gift of freedom . The gift of this beautiful , amazing , new beginning . I have not fully realized this until today . Today I hung up the phone . Inhaled deeply and headed to take a shower . My day was a usual day of football practice , Netflix , chicken sausage with my Spark , the gym , cracking up with my goddaughter , communicating with a handsome gentleman , and of course going back and forth about what , when , or even if I was going to write . I have been battling a few demons and although my words are begging to come out , I seem to be hoarding them . Keeping them for myself . I am not sure what I am afraid of , but I will tell you , I am afraid . Those last chapters describe so much hurt and so much pain . I think maybe I am afraid of reliving and having to began the healing process all over again . I may be afraid of reality . I am unsure at this point . But I do have a large group of folks who are eagerly waiting to see those words that I am selfishly holding hostage . Those words will anger some . Heal some . Expose some . But for now it is MY story . My words that make up who I am . Once they are released into the wild , and they will be , it will no longer be just my story or my words . I will share them with everyone but right now I am holding onto my last bits of privacy . My last bits of secrecy . My last bits of a long , thorny journey that is has finally come to an end . A weight was taken off of my shoulders today . And for all of us who are or who have been suffering with ending a relationship with a toxic person in fear of them changing for someone else , let me put your minds at ease . They do not change . They are the exact same person they were with you , but now worse . Tonight as I got in the shower I thanked God for my journey . My path . My road that was paved with nothing but shit storms , sadness , and total confusion . I thanked God for giving me my freedom and the amazing life I am living . I am not living a Facebook amazing life , I am living an actual amazing life . I am surrounded with nothing but supportive friends who love me . I have the most amazing family . My kids are here and I have a full house with the addition of my goddaughter being with me until she leaves for college and I finally figured out my hair . My life is full . And I am free to enjoy this new beginning I have been given . And I will enjoy this life . I will not take it for granted . I will love hard and I will rest easy , but I will never forget my lessons and I will never have to wonder ever again . On June 7 , 2017 By fireball790In relationshipsLeave a comment When I began writing about my previous relationship , I had no idea how many of you were in the same situation . Some through it , others smack in the middle . Some needed clarity , while others just needed to relate to someone . When I started seeing Jake , I wanted a relationship not a weekly series on destruction . But today I am grateful for Jake . I am grateful for every second I had with him , all of it . The good and the bad . Without him , I would not be who I am today . Today I am healthy . I am ready . I am a new woman . A woman I am proud of . A mom who has a clue . A friend who now can feel love and support . An ex - wife who understand and respects boundaries . A sister who is present and shows up . An aunt who brings fancy toothbrushes and who is the proud owner of a very impressive Pokemon card . I had to hit the ground in order to rise . I needed to be broken so I could be rebuilt . Granted it didn 't have to hurt that much . It didn 't have to be that destructive , but it was and here I am today . Today because of my strength and my amazing support system I am able to write so others can understand this type of relationship and seek help or at least have hope to hold onto . You , my readers , are on this journey with me . You are here reading and you are hopeful for a happy ending . Spoiler alert , there are no happy endings in real life , but there is hope and happiness along with sadness on the way . I am hopeful for happiness with someone else , but right now , today I have so much happiness on my own I am giving some away on the street corner . So if you are in this sort of relationship , I am waiting for you here , with the blue skies , green grass and a ton of belly laughs . When you show up , we shall have tea ! The progression of my book is in full force . I have pretty much completed the first 10 chapters . I have about 4 more to go . I have added more detail to each of my " episodes " . I have taken a little turn that my editor seemed to really enjoy . I am pretty excited about that . But the chapters that I have yet to write , will not be easy to get out nor will they spill all over my laptop . These chapters will be difficult . Painful . I am not sure I am ready to open this box , but I will . These are extremely difficult to write , for obvious reasons . I have been through hell and I am here . This does not mean I am looking forward to my readers sitting up late at night seeing my biggest mistakes and my regrets , but this is why I have been giving both this gift and this amazing life . Of course those are only working titles , but for me I need to face the fact that I am going to expos some pretty intense moments with the entire world . But I know my readers read because I am truthful . Raw . Real . Honest . It is because of this so many can relate . If you have not yet tunes into my podcast on dating , check it out ! ! ! Link below ! ! On June 2 , 2017 By fireball790In Abuse , divorce , hurting , love , narcissism , relationships , romanceLeave a comment " As I sat across the table from him , just him , I felt as ease . Safe . Happy . Interested . In that moment and for the rest of the night , that was the only place I wanted to be , near him . For the first time in a very long time , Jake was not present with me . With us . It was just the two of us laughing , living , and beginning again " . On May 29 , 2017 By fireball790In relationshipsLeave a comment As many of you already know I have signed a book deal with Sunny Day Publishing to turn my weekly series " Signs in the Rearview Mirror " into a book . I have been working , writing , rewriting , and smashing my head into a wall to be sure this book comes out exactly the way I want it to in order to help as many as I can . I know as I help others I am exposing parts of myself to the entire world that normally would remain extremely private . But I have been given this talent for a reason . The follow is an excerpt from one of the chapters of my new book and my first podcast is attatched at the bottom . Please read , listen , share , and give your feedback . I was 17 , a junior in high school and Derek was 19 , just finishing his first year of college and I was pregnant with his baby . Derek dropped to the floor and started to cry . In stunned silence I held him and then , through my own tears , told him he was going to be OK . When he was able to move , he made his way to his bedroom and called his friend , leaving me on that blue bathroom floor . When I finally thought I was able to move , I found I didn 't . I couldn 't . Fear has immobilized me . I guess somewhere I felt that if I didn 't move , stayed frozen in time , I wouldn 't have to face this . Everyone could just work around me as I sat on that bathroom floor and use me as a toothbrush holder or something . That way I wouldn 't have to deal with the reality of it all , or tell my parents , or think about it . Of course , I knew at some point , I would have to move . The sad part was , I had nowhere to go . No one to tell . After Derek had hung up the phone , he felt better . Not good , but better . I wondered what that felt like , to feel better . I could not remember the last time I felt better . For as long as I could remember I always had to deal with adult problems . And this adult problem would be no different . I would have to deal with it whether I liked it or not . I did eventually get up , put one foot in front of the other , and left . Derek stayed home in his comfortable room , where football posters hung from the walls with the smell of pot roast being cooked by a " normal " mother in a clean kitchen down the hall . As for me , I went to the place I called home . A place where the smoke hung so heavy in the air that the thickness of it stuck to my nose and throat . I felt the filth and grime as I walked across the old carpet in the livingroom housing parasites , stains of food and years of spilt drinks . I headed towards the kitchen to see piles of dirty dishes in the sink , used pots and pans still on the stove , and the disgusting pyramid of trash climbing the wall from the trash can , begging to be changed . Through the smoke in the living room , I heard a cough and saw that familiar faint orange glow … one of my parents buried beneath the fog of their life long obsession . I made my way to my bedroom , easily unnoticed . I laid on my bed , the top half of the bunk I shared with my little sister , in that pit of a house , with that tiny little secret nestled in the deep dark corners of my womb . Staring at the paint peeling from the ceiling and the cracks in the walls , I thought of all the ways I could mess up a kid 's life . What had I done ? How could this be happening to me ? Derek and I had gone through so much together between that moment and this one . The moment where I am with someone else and not him . How did I get to this moment right now with Jake ? https : / / thoughtsbecomingword . files . wordpress . com / 2017 / 05 / lets - get - wicked - deep - epi - 1 - 51817 - 5 - 22 - pm . mp3 On May 19 , 2017 By fireball790In Abuse , divorce , hurting , love , narcissism , relationships , romance , UncategorizedLeave a comment Click on the link to hear my very first podcast show . Bear with me as I am still working out the kinks . Soon to be released on iTunes and Google Play . If you or someone you know is or has been in a narcissistic relationship and you are interested in being a guest on my show , please email me at ~ letsgetwickeddeep @ yahoo . com On April 6 , 2017April 6 , 2017 By fireball790In Abuse , divorce , hurting , love , narcissism , relationships , romance , UncategorizedLeave a comment Freedom . According to Merriam - Webster , freedom is defined as the absence of necessity , coercion , or constraint in choice or action . It comes in many forms and means something different to all of us . Lately , I have been living vicariously through my second oldest Godson Zackary . Zack is 23 and he is an amazing young man . I don 't mean amazing in a way that only a Godmother would see her Godson but rather , he is amazing in spirit . He is honest , reliable and incredibly free spirited . He is secure enough with himself to grow his hair out , take crap for it and never think twice of someone else 's opinion of him . He lives the life he wants to live and is only concerned with what he and the good Lord think of his decisions . Like all kids , they rely heavily on us for support . Whether it be food , transportation , finances or to simply cheer them on from the sideline and be there to lift them up after a major loss , we are there every step of the way . As we watch them grow , we are proud of the choices they make and who they are becoming . But at some point , we become less and less of a priority to them and we end up observing their lives after they have moved out on their own . Through the sometimes blurry windows of social media , there are glimpses into their daily lives , friendships and careers . They come home when they can and even occasionally take a call or return a text . For the most part , they are on the forefront of our minds and we are in their back pockets as sort of a safety net when they need us . It is nothing personal , but it is part of the growing pains we feel as a parent ( Godparent in this case ) . We love our kids from a distance and watch the wings we have given them begin to expand . This past Christmas , instead of watching Zack 's typical life adventures that take him snowboarding , cliff jumping or hopping in his car to go where the wind takes him , he let me know he was coming home for a few days . Zack sneaks in and out as to not upset or disturb the lives of the people he can 't see . This year , I was lucky enough to not only get a text back and a call , but I was able to come face to face with the elusive boy turned man that I am grateful to call family . Five years have passed since our divorce and like every Christmas Eve , Derek has the kids until 10pm . He brings them to my house and they boys and I are able to wake up and spend Christmas Day together . I was getting ready to go to a friend 's house for a group Christmas Eve dinner when my phone buzzed . I looked down . Zack was on his way ! We texted back and forth a few times until his face was finally at my front door . He rang the bell and walked in . Zack standing 5 ' 11 with this dark brown hair grown out to his shoulders , was wearing a giant smile on his face and peaking through his lips were his shiny white teeth . I rushed over and threw my arms around him , squeezing him tightly . Zack , who is not much of a hugger knew the drill … I will not release him from the hug until l get both arms around me . He did what he knew had to and he hugged me back . We made small talk about life and the amazing journey he was on , places he had been visiting and about his love life . We sat outside on the back deck , he took pictures of the water and took in the view , I texted my son , Todd , to let him know Zack was at the house and invited him to come by to see him . As we chatted , laughed , and talked about his future plans , a flash of light bounced off the stone pillars on the deck . I looked behind me and thought I saw a headlight and figured it was my son . Todd and Zack got along pretty well and it was always great when they could get together . As my own kids grew , one ran off to college to play lacrosse in Missouri and the other one went off to school but stayed in Texas and my Godsons , all four of them followed suit . Three took off to play college football in different states and the youngest headed off to serve his mission for two years in Argentina . So , with all the boys scattered , it was a blessing to see all of them together again when possible . It wasn 't a surprise to see that Todd rushed over to see Zach , even if only for a few minutes . A minute or two passed and when Todd didn 't come barreling through the door , I figWeird , I thought . Maybe it was Todd and he was finishing up a call ? I was startled when I heard a knock at the door . I looked at Zack and without reason , my heart sank . I looked at the door and through the frosted glass opening , I could a face looking inside . We made our way into the house and towards the door . Zack followed close behind me and I began to make out the figure . Derek ? I thought to myself . I thought to myself he must be bringing Joseph , our youngest son , now 15 , over early for Christmas Eve , but had no idea why he would do that . As I got closer to the door , I was now convinced it was Derek and I was excited for him to see Zack . As we approached the door we laughed and thought it was a great coincidence that he came by while Zack was visiting . As I opened the door and peeked my head out just a little , my heart , my jaw and my stomach hit the floor . My mouth dried up , chest grew tight and I anxiously locked eyes with Zack . Seconds later , Jake pushed the door open and walked in … On February 23 , 2017 By fireball790In Abuse , divorce , hurting , love , narcissism , relationships , romance , UncategorizedLeave a comment With tear - filled eyes , a heavy heart , and mild hatred for myself lingering in the back of my mind , I write this episode . It has been a difficult yet therapeutic process for me . When I first started putting this series together months ago , before pen ever touched paper , I was afraid of my own feelings . I was scared that I would start feeling something for him again . I was afraid I was going to miss him or fall back in " love " with him . But this process has had quite the opposite effect on me . I feel today as if he never existed . As much as I would love to tell you that he and this relationship were made up in my mind … they weren 't . The tears are real . The pain is thick and it 's heavy . The tears and pain are not for him , but for me . As I write I realize that I love the girl I am writing about . Five years ago , I didn 't . Twenty years ago , I didn 't . As I grew up , self - hatred was as learned skill and was all that I knew , especially when I didn 't know who I was . I had no idea of the anger that lived deep within and the magnitude of the toll it took on me . Today , after years in my recovery program , I see this amazing , strong , intelligent , happy , fun loving mom and woman . I am here for a reason . I have this writing gift for a reason . I lived the life I did for a reason . I am here to write for me and for you . You the one who needs it most . The one who is confused and scared . I write this for you . From the moment you find out you are pregnant , you have a responsibility to the life living within you . You are responsible for eating well , not drinking alcohol , and not inhaling fumes from the cars driving in front of you . As your belly grows , for most of us , so does the love we have for the little unknown stranger living inside us . We talk to the stranger and somehow fall in love and become totally connected . After they are born it 's a motherly instinct to protect them and care for them . To make sure you pass on the important life lessons and keep them safe , no matter what . When I found out I was pregnant with my oldest son , Todd , I was 17 and not interested in being a mom . As the months passed , I became more familiar with this stranger and I found myself enamored with him . While Derek was away in college , I would lay in bed and talk to the " stranger " living inside me . At the time , I had no idea if he were a boy or a girl so the conversation was gender neutral . One night after my school day was over , homework was done and I finished my shift at the donut shop , I finished reading the baby one of my favorite Dr Seuss books . I asked the " stranger " a question and asked the baby to kick to answer me . We talked about hockey . Football . Whether it was boy or a girl . After a few kicks here and there , I determined that said baby would play hockey when he / she grew up . To this day , Todd is not much of a liar and now , at the age of twenty - two , he 's the captain of his college lacrosse team . I guess Lacrosse is pretty close to hockey , so it all worked out . That night , over twenty - two years ago , sitting alone in my bed talking to this little stranger , we formed a bond . The day he was born , I gazed into those tiny brown eyes surrounded by the softest , pinkest skin and I apologized for being his mom . I told him I would do the best I could for him and I did . Derek and I both did . That was until I did not . Until I gave him and his two brothers all - access passes with front row seats to what an abusive relationship lookThe divorce was finalized in April . Five months and three days from the day Derek moved out and our relationship ended . That summer was the first time we did not plan a family vacation . I began to look into a beach house for me and boys to stay in for a ten - day getaway . I wanted to go home to Boston have them see our extended family and it was just a bonus that Jake would be there and it was an opportunity for him to get to know the kids better . I started to plan with Derek to figure out the details of when he would take vacation with them and when I would . A few days later I had the trip booked and the kids were excited to go to Boston for a vacation . After the ten days with me on the shore they were to fly directly to California to be with Derek for another ten days . I planned to stay with Jake while the boys were with their dad on the west coast and would meet them back in Texas . The plan was perfect . I was excited to have what I thought of as our first family vacation all perfectly planned … but of course , I was wrong . I was still in the denial of who Jake really was and by executing this plan , I chose to put my kids in the line of fire . A decision I regret to this very day . The morning we left Texas , we flew into Logan airport and got our rental car . The plan was to go see my friend Julia . After I picked Jake up , we drove to Julia 's house . She had extra bedding and was going to let us borrow it for the duration of our trip . I can 't remember exactly what happened that set Jake off , maybe I was late , maybe I gave him the wrong directions , but he was angry at me . As we pulled up to Julia 's house my stomach was in knots . My mouth was dry and I had no idea if he was going to be upset with me in front of her or if it was just a private show for me and my kids to experience . As he got out of the car , he was cheery and chipper . He thanked her for allowing us to use her bedding . Julia made a face at me and because right away she knew . She knew something was off . She had been dying to see the boys and wanted to hug them and talk to them , but Jake was clearly on a mission to leave . As he hurried things along , she covertly grabbed my hand in support . We drove away from her house and as she became smaller and smaller in my rear - view mirror , I broke a little inside . We went to the grocery store , gathered what we needed and we were off to the beach house . But even a small task like a trip to the grocery store turned into an excruciating event . He seemed to find fault with everything and everyone : how slow the line was moving and the checker wasn 't emptying the cart fast enough . He was infuriated . When we finally got to the house , I figured it would all settle down . There was Jake , out in front , putting on his nice guy charm with all the neighbors , his usual . Meanwhile , a storm was brewing inside . Boys will be boys , they left their bags on the floor and bounded toward the beach to see the water . Jake took issue with their " mess " . He said they were slobs and how could I as a mom let them live that way . I immediately defended them and told him they were excited to be at the beach and they didn 't need to be neat while on a vacation . I did not understand why he was so bothered . To keep him calm , I called the boys back and had them put their stuff away . They were not super happy with this , but they did it . Jake had rules . He wanted everything planned . He wanted everything clean and in order all the time . No excuses . I didn 't raise my kids that way and they had enough on their minds with the divorce . I figured a beach vacation would be fun . Mindless . Good memories . During the day , Jake worked and would come to the house afterwards . We would go to the beach , swim and fly kites . At times , we went to the arcades , played games and stuffed our faces with junk food . Fried dough , cotton candy and beach pizza . We went on rides and played games . The kids collected tickets from skee ball and cashed them in for a harmonica , the same way I did when I was a kid . We drove to the go - cart track and raced each other . Some nights , we made bonfires and roasted marshmallows on the sand . We talked , joked and laughed . Other nights Jake would walk in carrying his bad day on his shoulders and alcohol on his breath . That was a sure - fire sign that it wasn 't going to be a good night . When I sensed a bad day , I cleaned the house the best I could and would leave the kids by themselves at the beach to come in and make sure everything looked perfect . But I was never able to get the house cleaned enough . A few nights in he came to the house and as he walked in he began inspecting . He saw things he didn 't like and he was sure to scold me . Beach sand on the floor ( go figure ) , food on the counter and not in the cabinet and clothes not put away . One night , after inspecting , as he began to roll up his sleeves to clean , the kids came in . More times than I care to admit , my kids witnessed Jake abusing me . They heard him call me names . They would pick me up off the floor when I was sobbing . They held me when I could not hold myself up . They saw me fall . Their hearts broke for me over and over and I just could not see what was really happening . I could not recognize that they were enduring second hand abuse . They were scared for me and so very confused . They hated Jake and the way he treated me but they were also afraid of him . Afraid of what he might do to them if they stood up for me . Afraid of what their dad would do if they told him any of this . So , they didn 't say anything and they didn 't do anything . They stood by watching their mom fall apart and they suffered , silently and alone . My boys suffered because I was not strong enough to remove myself from this abuse . Not strong enough for me . I let this happen to them and I may never be able to forgive myself because I didn 't protect them from him . I did eventually get out and away , but the damage had already been done . They may have seen me fall , cry on the floor , insulted and bruised , but they are also now seeing my rise from the wreckage . They are seeing me stand up , proud and tall . They are seeing me help others . They have witnessed me fight and become the strong woman I am today . A woman who can take care of herself . A woman who has met abuse face to face and has won . I fought for me but I also fought for them . Whether the kids were his or not , they should never see their mom or dad being abused in anyway shape or form . Kids , even from infancy know exactly what is going on . They do not deserve to be in the middle of such toxicity . If you or anyone you know is in this sort of relationship , know you do not have to stay because you have kids . You are teaching them it is OKAY to be treated this way . Please , I implore you to not let them grow up thinking this sort of relationship is normal or even acceptable . They deserve a happy life without second hand abuse . By staying , enduring and " taking it " , you are allowing their minds to be distorted , just the same way I did . Kelly Smith ~ Signs in the Rear View Mirror Episode 6 : Discovering You , Discovering Me … On February 16 , 2017 By fireball790In Abuse , divorce , hurting , love , narcissism , relationships , romance , Uncategorized1 Comment I can 't pinpoint exactly when it happened . Or when it began to happen . But somewhere between the romantic texts and calls , gifts and door openings , he morphed into who he really was . Over time and in his own sloppiness , pieces of him began to show . Each time a piece of the real Jake began to peek through , he quickly diverted my attention and I thought I was imagining things . But I wasn 't . He was just good at what he did . He was good at his craft . He had years and years of practice before seeking me out . In the beginning , while he was " courting " me , we discussed deal breakers and what our turn offs were . I was not attracted to men who smoked and I could not be with anyone who did . He told me he didn 't smoke , but he used to and quit because it was a " gross habit " . We talked about our families , our past relationships and everything in between . I told him about my dad and how he passed away at 50 because he was an alcoholic and never took care of himself . I told him how awful it was growing up with an alcoholic dad who was also addicted to gambling . It was no way to live and I refused to let that back into my life . He told me about his parents and the abuse he endured while growing up . He said he didn 't like the environment he was raised in and because of the way his mom would yell , he hated to be yelled at . He told me about his drinking habits from years ago and how he didn 't do that anymore . He also revealed that he used to gamble , but it was too risky now . At the time , this was all music to my ears because Jake was a changed man and he had learned from his mistakes . Derek never had any of those vices . He liked ice cream and coaching our boys ' teams . This was a whole new kind of relationship and although different , I assumed it would be fundamentally the same . As Jake and I talked and I learned more and more about him , I felt better during my discovery phase . Little didAs the time passed , I realized more and more of what we had talked about was not the real him . During a visit home to Boston , I drove past the car dealership where Jake worked . As clear as day I could see him standing outside smoking with one of his coworkers . The cigarette went from his mouth , down to his side and back up again . I watched him smoking as I sat in traffic . Now , because I know I was a bit of a tyrant with Derek , I didn 't want to be a crazy person and freak out on him . Instead , I texted him and I asked him if he was outside smoking . His response was that he was standing near someone who was smoking but he would never , calling it " a filthy habit " . Wow , I thought to myself . He just lied to me and … So easily . I saw with my own two eyes him put a cigarette to his mouth and he just told me he didn 't . With further questioning , he eventually fessed up that he does smoke when he 's at work because it " helped relieve some stress " . After finding this out , I thought back to our conversation about it when we first met . I thought to myself , " Ok so he smokes when he 's stressed , that is not so bad at least he 's not a gambler and doesn 't drink very often " . Later that night , I picked him up from work we talked about it his smoking and the fact that he blatantly lied to me . This is when I learned that he didn 't like being pressed with questions and in fact , it made him very angry . I began to notice a trend … he got angry very easily and often . I could not understand why he just didn 't tell me in the beginning that he was a smoker . He didn 't like those sort of questions either so when he began to yell , I backed down . Weeks later , after I was back in Texas , I started to realize how much he drank . There was a pattern with him going out after work . At first , it didn 't happen all that often . While he was at work we would talk and text throughout the day and by the time he was off , he was in his car and I was on the phone with him . We would talk all night and then slowly , he started to call me less . Our conversations were shorter and his after work bar visits increased . While he was out , he would still text or call , but more often than not , he would ask me to call him at a certain time to remind him to leave the bar and go home . Eventually , my calls would go unanswered or he would pick up and yell at me for bothering him , hang up on me and then not take my calls . The next day he would apologize and express how bad he felt , stay home for a few nights and then the cycle would repeat . He had a pattern and I was beginning to become very familiar with it . One night , while I was home in Texas with my kids , he called to let me know he was going out . He again asked me to call him at midnight to remind him to go home . I reluctantly agreed and when I called , he got mad and hung up on me . A few hours later , my phone rang and Jake was on the other end of the line . He was panicked . He had been pulled over and had no idea what was going to happen . The call was cut short and I didn 't hear back from him that night . That was the night he was arrested with a DUI . The next morning , when he called he was a complete mess . He was crying because he was already on parole and was terrified that this would be a major violation and he would be sent back to prison . As we were on the phone , my heart was breaking for him . I was so upset and so scared . I immediately booked a flight for the next day so I could be there with him when he went to see his probation officer . He had previously been in jail for five years and that was because his best friend set him up by placing drugs in his house so the FBI would find them and he would take the fall . He was senteI wanted to protect him . I wanted to save him . I thought if anyone could love the darkness out of this man , it would be me . There were times when I saw such goodness in him . Once , when my grandmother was sick and in a nursing home back home in Boston , my mom called me and she was in a state of panic . She was worried about my grandmother and didn 't want to be alone . I told Jake what was going on with her and minutes later he was in his car headed to comfort my mom . He sat with both my grandmother and my mom until she was stable . He talked to them , made them laugh and held their hands . I felt better and my mom did too . He then began to go visit my grandmother in her nursing home . She had no idea who he was , but she had a smile on her face when he would enter the room . He visited weekly and for Christmas he gave her an angel that sat on top of her dresser . It would light up different colors and she adored it . I remember one day driving on the highway , a car almost hit me and as I swerved , I almost drove off the road . I called him upset and shaking . He talked to me calmly , had me pull over and asked me to check for something in the trunk . As I got out of the car and looked in the trunk , he told me there was nothing in there and he wanted me to breathe . There was a good man deep down and I saw a light in a very dark place . I thought , " If I loved him enough , the light would shine brighter and he would be ok " . We would be ok . I tried for years and finally I had to give up . As I incessantly tried to search for that dim , dull light inside of him , my light smoldered and eventually was extinguished . I could feel it burning out , but I thought I would be ok . I thought I could be enough for us both . Jake didn 't want to be saved . He felt there was nothing wrong with the way he talked to me . A few months into our relationship , we were at his parents ' house . He was living with them at the time because financially he could not get on his feet . He got into an argument with his parents and I remember my stomach turning andKelly Smith ~ Signs in the Rear View Mirror ~ Episode 5 : Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear . . On February 9 , 2017 By fireball790In Abuse , divorce , hurting , love , narcissism , relationships , romance , Uncategorized3 Comments As the days turned into months and life moved forward , my divorce became more and more of a reality . One afternoon while the kids were in school , Derek came over . He walked upstairs , cut through the living room and sat at the solid wood , custom ordered dining room table we picked out together . He took his usual seat and I pulled out the chair next to him . He opened my laptop that was already sitting on the table . As he began to type we made small talk and I watched the clock carefully . I was not expecting a call from Jake , but I was anxious . I was afraid he was going to discover my soon to be ex - husband was not only in my house but sitting at my table , next to me . He would not like that . As sweat began to produce in my hands , Derek and I filed for divorce … together . We picked out who would have the kids on which days . Who would have them on their birthdays and for which year . I would take Christmas and he would take Thanksgiving every other year . We had to decide who would have them on every single holiday , even Flag Day . As Americans , we have so many holidays . So as Derek and I figured out where our kids would be on Martin Luther King Jr . Day , I continued to watch the clock and my phone . We discussed health insurance , car insurance and who would pay what for the kids . He did the math in his head and I felt nostalgic because I loved that about him . He sat there with his eyes closed as he crunched numbers in his head and I just wanted to reach out to him one last time . I wanted to tell him I still loved him and wanted us to work , but I didn 't . I knew we no longer wanted the same things out of life . He spat out a few numbers , jotted them down and we moved on to other things . We sat next to each other for about an hour and dismantled the life we spent over 20 years building . And just like that , it was done . Over . Filed . We were getting divorced . Derek and I , who had our oldest son as teeThat day after Derek left , I made my way to my bedroom , crawled onto " our " bed and cried . I began to mourn the end of the only thing that was ever familiar to me . The only thing that was ever home to me . Derek and I in a sense grew up together . We had to figure out a lot of life while we were together . Now , I was on my own . But then again , I had Jake to lean on . I knew I had to call him before he began to wonder where I was . I sat up in my bed , wiped my tears , cleared my throat , and called Jake . I told him we filed and now we had the two month " cooling off " period and then it would be done . I had on a strong , cold can 't wait for it to just be over voice on while I talked to Jake . The truth was I was dying inside . I wanted to tell Jake how sad I was . I wanted to be able to open up to him and let him know I was hurting . I wanted him to take care of me and tell me everything was going to be ok … but I didn 't . I didn 't tell him what my heart was feeling . I didn 't think he would understand . I was not sure he was even capable of comprehending what I was going through . After we hung up , I threw the covers over my head and cried until I had to pick up the kids . I had a lot of moments like that . A lot of telling him great things about my days and what I was busy with , but in reality I was beginning to fall apart . The 5 to 10 days I thought I needed to get over Derek were turning out to be a lot longer and a lot more intense . I called Derek a lot . I cried to him a lot . He would take my calls and try to help me though it . He would respond to my texts and take me out to dinner to see if I was doing okay . I could tell Derek how I felt . I could tell Derek I missed him . I could fall apart with Derek … but not with Jake . So , I began to see a therapist . I knew I needed help getting through this . I knew Derek and I were not good together and that I wanted to be with Jake but I could not figure out why I was still so sad . Jake had no idea how much pain I was in . To this day , he has no idea how much I was suffering with the end of my marriage while trying so hard to begin something with him at the exact same time . A few times I thought about ending it with Jake , but then I would panic . I would be alone and that scared me . I thought it would be better to suffer than it was than to be alone . Suffering seemed to be my hobby at this point . The only thing I knew how to do and I did it well . Between dealing with my divorce and my relationship with Jake , I was a complete mess . While I was working through being on my own and trying to figure out who I was , Jake was asking where I was , who was I with and why didn 't I take his call . " Who do you talk to at the gym ? Why do you find it necessary to workout ? " he would ask . It became too much for me . All of the arguing with Jake was no longer worth it … so I gave up the gym . I began to eat fast food , cookies , pie … you name it . I was indulging daily on everything I was taught not to eat while I was competing and modeling . I began to add weight but I figured as long as I could still see my lower abs , I would be fine . Well , that didn 't last long . I was traveling back and forth from Texas to Boston twice a month and when I was home in Boston , I was eating and drinking . I no longer cared about working out and Jake insisted that he loved the way I looked … but deep down , I felt sad and gross . I missed my workouts and eating routine . But because it was less stress on my new relationship , I pushed those feeling down and covered them with burgers and fries . The only place I felt safe was when I was 30 , 000 feet in the air . Only then , could I be myself , let it all out and cry . Jake could not reach me and I didn 't have to pretend to be happy . The days I volunteered at the school slowly fizzled and soon I wasn 't helping out at the school anymore . I was slowly becoming a shell of my former self … . I would later realize I was falling into a deep depression . I was either crying over the end of my marriage , my family or I was explaining myself to Jake . Things started to get dark for me and the walls were closing in . I became unrecognizable to myself . One afternoon , after the kids left for their dad 's house , I was talking to Jake . After the call ended , I found myself on the bathroom floor , barely able to hold my head up . I was gone … so was my will to live . I rummaged through my pill bottles and swallowed as many as I could . I could not do it anymore . I could not take it anymore . I had no direction . I had no desire . I felt that I had nothing left . I felt I had no choice . I layed on the cold tile floor wondering what I had just done but not able to muster up the strength to react . Luckily , not long after , a friend who was in the neighborhood , dropped by to say hello . She found me there , limp on the bathroom floor , picked me up and managed to help me vomit . Needless to say , I failed at my attempt . To this day , neither Jake nor Derek , much less my kids knew I wanted to end my life that day . It isn 't until now , that they may learn of how gone I really was . It was a tough time in my life but I managed somehow to get through it . I kept seeing Jake and putting on a strong front when he was around . I put up that front because I knew Jake wouldn 't understand . I was not protecting him from anything . I was protecting me from him . I didn 't want him to know I was sad . He wouldn 't have liked it very much and it was just easier to pretend to be okay than it was to be honest with him about my feelings . He would not understand that I wasn 't still in love with Derek but mourning the loss of my marriage . I was just sad . So I faked it . I faked being happy with the way my life was going . Truth be told , I felt defeated , destroyed . I was in pieces and I needed some time to feel and recover from the end of my marriage . I needed to be on my own to figure out who I was . I needed time to just be with my kids and be there for them . I didn 't take time for me or for my kids . I chose to put Jake first . I chose to talk to him and listen to him bitch about his day rather than read to my sons or watch a movie with them . I chose to explain every single move I made to him over sitting close to my boys to make sure they were okay . I made these choices and I regret them to this very day . My kids needed a healthy mom more than I needed a man . A man who made me anxious and paranoid if I missed his call . A man who called me names and put me down when I was suicidal . A man who was so concerned about himself that he never once asked me if I was okay . A man who was so upset about my social media page that I had to go through and delete every guy friend and every picture I had of me , Derek and the kids . I was not ready to do that but I did it to please him . I deleted it all just to make things " easier " in my relationship with him . I had a choice in all of this and I chose him over everything , myself included . I didn 't love myself . I didn 't know how . I was lost and confused and I was weak . I thought at the time that what I was doing was right . But it wasn 't …