Andrea struggles to keep things afloat at her job at a local B&B. Keeping herself busy with University and cooking usually keeps her mind off things. She is a sous chef, and in the late afternoon she is a student. On the weekends and sometimes during the week, she cares for her nephew Leo. He is an energetic and playful three year old. Andrea loves her nephew but cannot focus on her school assignments whenever she has to watch him. The unbalanced work schedule of her sister and brother-in-law can sometimes make it difficult for them to take care of Leo, so this happens a lot. On top of that, she finds herself trapped in a relationship with her boyfriend Dylan. His charm captured her like a cat playing with a mouse before the kill. Now his manipulation tactics are Smoother than his lies. Andrea is finally realizing that toxicity runs through his bulging veins, Like her pounding heart filled with fear whenever he perceives she does something wrong.
Her family and friends were greeted with a charming facade when meeting Dylan, but as they got to know him more, they became alarmed by his behavior. Her sister caught on early while everyone else was still seduced by his charismatic persona.
“It didn’t take intuition,” her sister said. “You started to dress like a Morman and I saw smeared concealer on your arms.” Now everyone, including Andrea, can see his skin beginning to shed like a snake. The worst part is Leo is starting to pick up on some of the cues. The other day, when Dylan was over, Andrea asked him to come into the living room. He stood by the wall, peeking into the living room.
Andrea got up and softly said, “What’s wrong?”
Leo answered, “I don’t like him.”
Andrea added, “Why not?”
“I saw him grab your arm once. Does he hit you?” Leo whispered.”
No matter how hard she tried to hide the bruises from Leo or anyone else, it has become more obvious. Now when she watches Leo, she takes him with her to the B&B and lets him play in the room she sometimes stays in. She told Leo it was her “safe place.” Her boss, Rami, and his wife, Margret, let her stay at the B&B for free once she explained her financial situation and confided in them about Dylan. She told them almost everything. Maybe too much. That her boyfriend gives her money, he drives her because she doesn’t have a car, and he paid her University acceptance fee. Andrea also told them she sometimes stays with him, because her father lives too far away, and Dylan won’t drive her there. Her mother is not part of her life. Her sister has no room in her tiny three bedroom apartment with a baby on the way. Sometimes when she wants to visit her family, Dylan won’t let her drive his car. There were other things that she didn’t tell her bosses, things that he liked to dangle over her head.
She tried three times to leave him, but every time he hurt her. At first, he charmed and manipulated her. Then those words turned into a hard slap that left a cut dripping blood out of her lips. When she fought back, she woke up with swollen eyelids.
It was time for her to confront a significant change in her perspective on life. She started attending a support group for women who have experienced abuse. Over time, she is connecting with other survivors, sharing their stories, and gaining inspiration from their resilience. One evening in the group, she met an outspoken and fiercely independent woman named Lila, who encouraged Andrea to take control of her own narrative. Lila suggested that instead of fearing her abuser, Andrea should use what she knows about Dylan. Step in his shoes.
Andrea is a creative soul but stopped writing and painting after she graduated high school.
Anytime she got back to her creative roots, Dylan belittled her work. She started to hide her art and writings, but then stopped all together.
However, these conversations with Lila and other women empowered her. She painted every day. She even painted with her nephew. Two months later, she had finished five pieces of writing and four paintings. She displayed her art in her room at the B&B. The artwork captures not only her suffering but also her hopes and dreams for the future. She asked Dylan to come up and check them out, using this as a lead to break up and release herself from his chains.
Dylan is confronted with horrific imagery and unsettling depictions of their relationship. Each piece reveals a different aspect of her trauma and survival, forcing him to face the reality of his actions. It is an opportunity for reconciliation. Andrea stands at the center of the room, and in a moment of unexpected bravery, she addresses Dylan, sharing her story of resilience.
This exposure shatters Dylan’s illusions of who he thinks he is. In that moment, the control he exerted over her begins to dissolve.
Slowly, Andrea finds her strength. She leaves Dylan, graduates from university, gets a small apartment and a car using the money she saved up, and drives to visit her father and sister.
