TYOT

- 1/5
"Being from an apparently comfortable background nobody understood the reason for me wanting to pursue my career. Not even those closest to me. But nobody sees what is behind closed doors, nobody even sees the pain behind those empty eyes that have been left vacant during an abusive marriage.
Standing on my feet was tough initially, tougher than even I thought it would be and I was prepared for the worst. But once the sad reality that some public spaces can be safer than your own house, I grew stronger with each small, minuscule, hardly visible step. I found shelter in my work which allowed me to work as per my convenience and gave me the support system I didn't even realize was lacking in my life. The financial stability not only enabled me to develop a backbone but also eventually allowed me to leave my abusive marriage, a step I never thought I would ever be able to take as a timid girl back when I was married. Everybody told me not to, everybody warned me of the repercussion. Yet here I am. Happier and more alive than I have ever been."
-Fatima
30 years old
Designer at TYOT