But I did not measure my victory by what she lost.
I measured it by what I finally stopped giving away.
My silence.
My confidence.
My right to ask questions.
And my belief that I deserved honesty.
The house remained standing.
The photographs stayed on the walls.
My children still came home.
And I was still Debra Mitchell.
Only now, when I looked in the mirror, I saw a woman who understood that sometimes the most important thing you can save is not your marriage.
It is yourself.
