What I asked was simple: If you believe in justice, start here. If you believe in access, help carry my case. If you believe in truth, stand beside my account. If you believe in care, risk being changed by what you hear. But Joe Ceci didn’t.

When the pain is intense enough, you cease to be someone in the world. You become a body against the world. The bench beneath you becomes strange. The air seems distant. Language cracks under the pressure. Even your name starts to feel like someone else’s.

I walked away from a significant financial offer, enough to keep a roof over my head, enough to buy time, finish school, stabilize. I knew exactly what it would cost me. I did it anyway. Because I knew what signing would mean.

When power crosses your threshold without consent, it isn't just the door that breaks — it's the illusion that you were ever meant to be safe inside

It allows everyone involved to feel like they’re doing something—while ensuring that no one is responsible for doing anything.