With Secrets Revealed, the Healing Begins
By Jo Ann Fore as appeared in 
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Karen, my new coworker, popped her head into my office. “Wanna grab a cup of coffee after work?” she asked. “It would be nice to get to know each other better.”
“Karen, I just don’t have time,” I said.
Karen had joined our faith-based, nonprofit organization a few months earlier and already she’d befriended almost everyone and was organizing employee outings.
She had it all: a strong marriage, a loving family. I could see why people liked her. Positive attitude. Hard worker. Responsible. Compassionate. Our joint projects ran smoothly. I couldn’t have asked for a better colleague.
But I wouldn’t, couldn’t, go deeper than that. Not with Karen. Not with anyone. How could I? What if my secret got out? What would people think of me then? What would perfect Karen think?
The secret I was desperate to keep was this: I was married to a real-life Jekyll and Hyde, a man who was sweet and charming to me one day, and emotionally and physically abusive the next. He would beg for forgiveness and I’d give in, wanting to believe he would change. And he would…but not for long.
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