Nikkie is the daughter of Greek immigrants. She fell in love with a fellow Greek-American man who admitted his violent past just before their wedding night. They were so deeply in love she took a chance. His abuse worsened and Nikkie’s life had become a nightmare, which led to the traumatic event that would send her to prison for 23 years. According to the Correctional Association of New York, 82% of incarcerated women are survivors of serious sexual and physical abuse before their time in prison. Domestic violence is intimate and terrifying and too often shamed and silenced. When we speak about her abuser, I notice that Nikkie often speaks in present tense, a subconscious shift to the immediacy and urgency and danger of their relationship.