"The other woman knew where I lived. So I invited her over for wine, and we waited together for the man we were both dating to walk through the door."Empire: Forged By Fire · Chapter Four
Have you ever been in a relationship where you started questioning yourself? You saved the screenshots, because you needed proof of what was really said. You rehearsed how to bring something up for days and still ended up being the one who apologized. Your gut kept telling you something was wrong while they kept telling you it was all in your head.
If that sounds familiar, this chapter was written for you. That is gaslighting. It takes away your right to believe your own eyes, and the one doing it is counting on you staying quiet and staying put.
Chapter Four is the story of what happens when you stop staying put. It starts with a knock on the door, two glasses of wine, and a man walking into a room where his lies had already introduced themselves to each other. If you have ever been talked out of your own memory, this chapter is going to read like someone finally wrote your story down.
The story is only half of what you get. The chapter ends with its Phoenix Practice, the guided work that turns what you just read into something you can use. It does not ask you to analyze the other person. It teaches you to trust your own mind and body again.