LETTER
A strange gift: the silent treatment
Dear Empress, My husband thinks silence is a weapon. For years he has used it whenever he wants to punish me. Not shouting, not…
Loneliness Didn’t Ruin Me. People Did
Loneliness was never the thing that hurt me.What hurt was the noise. The constant talking. The endless processing of other people’s emotions, dramas, insecurities…
He Was Happy. I Was Planning My Exit
It’s funny how often we see a relationship completely differently from our partner. I went quiet. So did he. But he thought I had…
His betrayal was my fault
Dear Empress Editorial Team, dear readers, I know how difficult this sentence is to accept. His betrayal was my fault. It sounds wrong. It…
I never expected motherhood to cost me myself
I don’t talk about this out loud because mothers aren’t supposed to think like this. We’re supposed to glow, to adore, to overflow with…
I washed my body. I couldn’t wash him off
[Diary Entry, 21 March 2021] I feel dirty. Maybe I’ll never wash it off. I don’t mean dirt in the literal sense, although… I’m…
