One of the hardest things for people to understand is that silence does not heal abuse. Silence protects institutions. Silence protects reputations. Silence protects the people at the top while victims are left carrying the damage for years, sometimes decades.

People say “just move on,” “focus on love,” “don’t feed the monster.” But the reality is: if survivors had actually been listened to earlier, if concerns had been taken seriously years ago instead of dismissed or minimized, maybe some of the more recent victims would still be alive today.

That’s the part people don’t want to sit with.

This isn’t about revenge or obsession. It’s about accountability. It’s about acknowledging that many of us were exploited, degraded, manipulated, overworked, isolated, and treated like disposable labor under the guise of “help.”

Ignoring abuse and pretending it didn’t happen is exactly how it continues.

Some people may choose peace and distance, and that’s their right. Others choose to speak because they don’t want future victims added to the pile. That is also valid.

The castle may already be rotting from within, but that doesn’t erase what happened to us.

And it certainly doesn’t erase the people who never fully made it back from the experience.