In 2021, during a sentencing hearing, the judge ordered my victim impact statement be read to the defendant. Led from the courtroom, panicked, I felt the weight of every word. In that disorientating space, I came face to face with the full scope of what domestic violence had taken from me. I hadn’t just left an abusive partner, I had left behind stepchildren, pets, and a house I once called home. I said goodbye to Brisbane, my financial independence, and a career I was proud of. When court resumed, the judge quoted my poem, ‘Forever’. Each line a quiet rebellion, an expression of the deep psychological disruption left behind by violence. I don’t remember the judge’s name. I don’t know if my ex was listening. But I felt heard.