The body truly does recover. You just have to give it time and take care of yourself. Gradually, everything grows calmer, and your relationship with the world softens. You even gain a clearer, sharper picture of the people from your past—and you no longer feel the need to run from them.

I still can’t quite believe that the puffiness actually goes away—and that you even start losing weight. I wish I could go back in time and stop being afraid of one person. He wasn’t frightening. I was afraid of myself.

P.S. No, he was abusive. You should be afraid of predators, and stand up to them. They are unlovable.