It started as “jokes” about menopause—hot flashes, forgetfulness, constant smirks. Rick laughed it off, but the emotional abuse followed me everywhere: family dinners, friends, public moments where I smiled while quietly breaking.
The turning point came when Rick invited his boss to dinner and warned me to stay quiet and “behave.” When I touched the thermostat, Rick mocked my menopause in front of his boss. I felt humiliated and invisible.
But his boss noticed.
The next day, he apologized privately and revealed concerns about Rick’s honesty at work.
That’s when I started paying attention—late-night calls, fake meetings, lies. I followed Rick and discovered the truth: it wasn’t an affair, it was workplace fraud.
And I was done being gaslit.
