So I started taking Symbiotica because I noticed that I was having trouble focusing, I felt groggy when I woke up, and I just needed an overall reset.
Since taking Symbiotica, I've noticed I have improved energy, my focus and mood are better, and I even have clearer skin.Symbiotica is the only supplement company with no seed oils, preservatives, toxins, or natural flavors.
Symbiotica has transformed my life, and I'm so glad to have found a brand that actually cares about its customers.I can finally see a difference in how I function and feel, and I look forward to taking my supplements every day.Really, really good.
Feel more energized, alert, and balanced with high quality supplements that work.Go to symbiotica.com slash betrayal for 20% off on your subscription order.Go to symbiotica.com slash betrayal for 20% off on your subscription order.
With everything going on in life, sleep is more important than ever, and I've found the key to better rest with my Naturepedic EOS Classic mattress.Since switching, my sleep has improved so much.
I wake up feeling refreshed and energized, ready to tackle the day.Unlike most mattresses, Naturepedic SCOT-certified organic options are made without fiberglass, polyurethane foam, toxic chemical flame retardants, and more.
you can feel confident that your mattress is crafted with your well-being in mind.Plus, it's fully customizable.I was able to choose the firmness that works best for me, which has made a world of difference.
And now, Naturepedic offers God-certified bedding, like sheets, duvets, and blankets, to make your sleep even better.Naturepedic has you covered with safer, organic sleep solutions for every member of the family.
Betrayal listeners can save 20% site-wide with code BETRAYAL20 at naturepedic.com slash betrayal.
This is Tonya Radd from Scrubbing In with Becca Tilly and Tonya Radd.This is what you do when you've just found that statement handbag on eBay and you want to build an entire wardrobe around it.You start selling to keep buying.Yep, on eBay.
Over that all black everything phase, list it and buy all the color.Feeling more vintage than ever?It's out with the new and in with the pre-loved.Next thing you know, you've refreshed your wardrobe basically without spending a dime.Yeah, eBay.
The place to buy and sell new, pre-loved, vintage, and rare fashion.eBay.Things.People.Love.
There were no red flags I could have seen with Eric.On paper, he seemed like the perfect therapist.I shared things with him I had never said out loud.And I am looking at a photo of his face
being charged with the exact same things that traumatized me.
I'm Andrea Gunning, and this is Betrayal, a show about the people we trust the most and the deceptions that change everything. This is Chelsea's story.Chelsea has a high-profile career.
So for this episode, all the names have been changed to protect her anonymity.
I really hope that one day I will be in a place where I can present myself publicly and say, look, this is me.This is my real name.This is where I'm really from.
Chelsea's been through more abuse than anyone should have to experience.As a child, she was trafficked by her parents.She says that her experience wasn't like the movies, where she was kidnapped and held against her will.
Instead, her mother brought her to adults' homes who groomed and sexually abused her.At the time, her mom worked for a man who was later charged with multiple counts of child sexual abuse.Chelsea knew she needed to get away from home for good.
Education was my escape from home.
I got scholarships.I was an amazing student.I went to every opportunity I could find for any sort of out-of-the-home program, whether that was camps, whether that was college courses over the summer.I used education as my way out.
She got a scholarship to college and stopped talking to her parents. The further away she got from home, the angrier she became about the abuse she experienced as a child.
And then there were all those feelings of betrayal, of like, what were all of these adults doing?Was there no responsible adult in my life?
In order to survive, Chelsea focused on building her own life.And outside of home, she not only survived, she excelled.She got an advanced degree and began a highly competitive, successful career.And she threw herself into work.
She says that on the outside, it looked like she had it all together.But on the inside, it was a different story.I was a scared little child walking around in like an optimist crime suit.
I think anyone meeting me on the outside just thought, wow, that person has it all together.Like, that person is invincible, indestructible.
Meanwhile, I was just... dying on the inside.She got married after college, but quickly realized she needed to work on herself and her trauma before she could invest in a successful marriage.
My ex-husband and I were very amicably splitting up.And also during that time, I was starting to confront some of these things that had happened to me when I was younger that were negatively impacting the way I was able to show up in relationships.
She started working with a therapist online, processing the abuses from her childhood.And around the same time, she reconnected with an old friend who we're going to call James.
James began reaching out.He had also gone through a breakup, and we were kind of just processing this idea of us both having this rebirth of rediscovering ourselves after a long-term relationship.
She and James started talking every day.After a few months, she realized... That there was something there we wanted to explore.
It just felt like he was this person who was there the entire time, right under my nose.
James really saw her and met her where she was emotionally.
One of the things that really drew me to him was just how focused he was on my emotions.
It felt really wonderful and it felt really safe and really attentive and he just had such an incredible way of viewing the world and was also just very cultured in a way that I hadn't experienced
He gave her access to a world Chelsea idealized, a community of artists who expanded her worldview.
James had this like whole artistic side to him, like he was a visual artist.His medium was kind of like social commentary photography, but not your typical photography, like a lot of like distortions of images.
And I just really appreciated him as an artist.
James came from a wealthy family and he had inherited a large real estate portfolio.It meant his schedule was flexible and he had a lot of disposable income.So for their third date,
I remember him standing there and just saying, this might sound crazy, but are you doing anything for Thanksgiving?I was like, no, I'm not.I'm estranged from most of my family.So holidays are always kind of a weird time.
And he's like, I'm kind of doing a solo thing in New York City.Would you want to fly out with me?And I was like, why not?Let's do this. Our third date was this week-long trip in New York City.Well, he planned everything.
And it was Peter Luger's steakhouse and amazing seats at some jazz venue and going and seeing a Broadway production.I'd only been to New York once before.It was really amazing.He was just showing me New York, and it was pretty incredible.
After their week-long third date, they became a couple. They lived a few hours apart, so on the weekends, they'd go to each other's cities, where James planned elaborate outings.
James was really into arts and culture, so we would go to museums and see different musicians or plays, and it was really fun.Everything just happened so fast.It felt like out of a fairy tale.
These dates quickly progressed into a relationship, and Chelsea says that above all, being with him felt so easy, so right,
And that was something we would always say together, just, this just seemed so easy.
One of Chelsea's friends was married to James' best friend.So right away, they had a community together.But that also meant Chelsea's friend had seen James in prior relationships.
She did warn me early on that he had a history of, she described it as being selfish.
Early on, Chelsea saw a little bit of that, but she didn't necessarily see it as selfish.It was more overbearing.
He was very concerned about my sexual history, frequently asking questions about the identity of my prior partners, the number of prior partners I'd had.
He would ask to go through her phone.She hated that and it gave her pause about the relationship.So she addressed it with him directly.His reply made her feel better.
He said that he started therapy and became very open about his efforts to try to address his insecurities. He started telling me about this therapist he started seeing, and it meant a lot for me to hear this level of accountability from someone.
So I was willing to continue to try to explore something with James.
Because they both believed in therapy, they started couples counseling together.It was only three months into the relationship, but they both wanted to improve their communication and connection.
I was at this place in my life where I was very vulnerable, but also energized to do work to heal myself.And to have James reflect that back to me was really significant.
I was dealing with a lot of personal sexual dysfunction as a result of digging into my own trauma history.And he was very open to hearing about my boundaries.He was very open to try to make our sexual connection a safe place.
He had his own sexual dysfunctions, so that was something that we were able to talk about openly.
And this was the first relationship I had been in where I was aware of those things for myself and I was communicating with them and he was very receptive to that and that made me feel very safe.
They were communicating better than ever.They were still long distance, but James began staying at her place more often.
So James had a key to my house pretty early.
I worked really long and crazy hours, so I wanted him to have a key so that he could just let himself in and out, and had a dog at the time, and he and the dog had really bonded, and it was nice to have him around.
When the pandemic started in 2020, their lives officially merged.
Neither one of us wanted to be alone through that.And suddenly, five months into dating, James and I went from living a few hours away to we were living together.And me working within 20 feet of him at all times.
Now quarantining together with Chelsea working from home, James's controlling behavior returned.As the couple grew closer, James couldn't hide his jealous side.He became more controlling about who she was talking to and why.
I work in a fairly male-dominated industry, so most of my colleagues and my team were men.And James was constantly fixated on who I was talking to.He would always ask me, what's their story?And I'd say, what does that mean?
And he'd say, are they married?I was like, well, I think so, but what does it matter?They work for me.
He became almost paranoid, and Chelsea wasn't having it.
And I was getting more confident in standing up for my own boundaries around my communication with other people.And frankly, I was just getting sick and tired of feeling constantly monitored by this person.
One day, they got into a heated argument about his behavior.He insisted on going through her phone.She refused and locked herself in the bedroom.That's when things escalated even further.
James, from the other side of the door, told me that if I did not come out and speak to him, and if I did not give him full access to my phone, he was going to distribute private images of me to my coworkers.
They were photos from early on in their relationship.Photos James said he would delete.
I spoke to him through the door and was like, you said you deleted those.And he said, well, I didn't.I lied to you about that. He went on to say, they meant a lot to me.You're just so beautiful.And I wanted to keep them.
And I was livid that he had violated that trust.I was sick of it.The fact that he had just told me that he had images that he didn't have consent to was enough.I wanted his phone.So I stepped outside that door.I grabbed his phone.
I went back inside my bedroom and I locked the door. And I went into it, went back through our messages, found the images, and deleted them.And on an iPhone, it's not enough just to delete them.
You then have to go to the deleted folder and delete them from there.So when I was going to the deleted folder, right below the deleted items, there's a folder called the hidden folder.And I'm seeing all sorts of things in this folder.
I don't really know how to grasp what I'm seeing, and I can feel myself start to leave my own body.And I can feel myself start to just float away, because what I am seeing, I just cannot comprehend.
And while I'm holding his phone in my left hand, I take my phone in my right, and I just start recording.
So I started taking Symbiotica because I noticed that I was having trouble focusing, I felt groggy when I woke up, and I just needed an overall reset.
Since taking Symbiotica, I've noticed I have improved energy, my focus and mood are better, and I even have clearer skin.Symbiotica is the only supplement company with no seed oils, preservatives, toxins, or natural flavors.
Symbiotica has transformed my life, and I'm so glad to have found a brand that actually cares about its customers.I can finally see a difference in how I function and feel, and I look forward to taking my supplements every day.Really, really good.
Feel more energized, alert, and balanced with high quality supplements that work.Go to symbiotica.com slash betrayal for 20% off on your subscription order.Go to symbiotica.com slash betrayal for 20% off on your subscription order.
If you're like me and trying to find that perfect holiday gift for your little ones, I've got the best recommendation for you, Guardian bikes.I recently bought one for my niece's birthday, and it was a total win.
Guardian bikes are known for being the easiest, safest, and quickest bikes for kids to learn on.My niece went from never riding a bike before to confidently cruising around in just one day.No training wheels required.
Watching her face light up with pride and excitement as she found her balance was priceless. One thing I love about Guardian Bikes is their focus on safety.
They've got this unique SureStop braking system that makes it super easy for kids to stop safely, so you don't have to worry about your little ones taking any tumbles.
If you're thinking about what to get your kids or grandkids this holiday season, I can't recommend Guardian Bikes enough.It's not just a bike.It's a gift of confidence, adventure, and unforgettable memories.
Join the hundreds of thousands of happy families by getting a Guardian bike today.Their holiday sales have begun, offering the biggest deal of the year.Save up to 25% on bikes, no code needed.
Plus, get free shipping and a free bike lock and pump with your first purchase after signing up for their newsletter.Visit guardianbikes.com to take advantage of these deals and secure your holiday gifts today.Happy riding.
Dating, it's tough out there.You download apps and swipe and swipe. You know you can spend 40 plus hours swiping 1,500 times for one date?Why are you still wasting time on the dating apps?You've got to try Talkify.This is not a dating app.
Talkify has real human matchmakers and dating coaches providing you with all the resources, info, and tools you need to find a real connection. Think it's all talk?
Their proven process goes beyond profiles to help you find your person with less stress and more success.In fact, over 80% of Talkify users find relationships.And you're six and a half times more likely to find your match with Talkify than on an app.
Reclaim your time and let Talkify be your executive assistant for your dating life.They interview every potential match by video to ensure authenticity and safety. no public profiles, and all contact info remains private.
Visit T-A-W-K-I-F-Y.com and stop swiping, wishing, or waiting.Start your journey to finding that special someone today.Talkify, no swiping, no games, no settling.
Chelsea thought she and her boyfriend James were on the right track, going to individual and couples therapy, working towards a healthy relationship.
But during the pandemic, James's controlling behavior took a dark turn when he threatened to release nude pictures of Chelsea to her colleagues. Pictures he said he got rid of.
When she went into his phone to delete the photos herself, she discovered another folder on his photo app, the hidden folder, which exists on every iPhone, by the way.It's right next to the deleted folder.
The first thing I noticed was a series of photographs of my condo where it looked like he was documenting or spying on me. that kind of triggered this, oh shit, what the fuck am I looking at feeling.
It looked like he had maybe gone through rooms, placed objects in certain places to see if they were moved between when he was leaving or coming back and forth.And they had date stamps on them.So that was really strange.
She kept scrolling through the folder, which had hundreds of images in it.There were whole collections of nude photos of different women.She recognized some of these women.
There were photos of his best friend's wife, the one that was Chelsea's friend, the one that had warned her about James's selfish tendencies.
I'm like, God, that looks like her.But why would he have naked photos of his best friend's wife?Why would he have these? Right away, she called her.I was like, I remember you had a tattoo on your ankle.Which ankle is it on?
And she told me, and I was like, he has photos of you.And she was just like, that's not possible.I have never, never, never.And I was like, no, I don't think you sent these to him.I don't think you sent them.
Chelsea sent her friend the photos and she confirmed that, yes, they were photos her husband had taken of her, but she didn't know he shared them with anyone, much less James.
And you could just hear, like, the breath come out of her and she says, I'm going to talk to my husband.Before she hung up, she asked her friend.I'm like, there's all sorts of other women in here.Do you know any of these women? And she did.She did.
A lot of these were the wives of James' friends.It appeared that James and his male friend group were exchanging these intimate photos with each other.
As Chelsea kept looking through James' hidden folder, she found something even more disturbing.
The other category of images that he had on this phone were dozens of photos of children, young children, two, four, six years old children.They were like little girls in bathing suits.And I don't know if he was taking these at some public park.
I don't know if he was taking these off of social media sites, if some well-meaning parent was posting something.
Her mind was racing.Who were these girls? And then she found one particular photo, the photo, the one she'd never be able to unsee.
The moment I looked at that photo, I knew something was fucking wrong.Something was absolutely wrong.
Chelsea disclosed what she saw in detail.It's too disturbing to share here, but what she discovered she clearly believed was CSAM, or child sexual abuse material, where the girl's face cropped out.
Everything in me just told me, especially in the context of where this was kept.With all of the other images, I was like, this is 100% something he is sexually interested in.And I did not know how to handle that.
She was having an out-of-body experience looking at these photos.But at the same time, she was still in her apartment with James on the other side of the door screaming for his phone back.
I'm just like, I can't do that.You threatened me.Can't do that.And he can tell by my voice.He can tell.And I open the door and I tell him, you need to leave.I've seen something.
I've seen something.Scared of him and unsure of what to do next, she gave him back the phone.She didn't tell him that she recorded anything.So he left in a rage and Chelsea quickly locked the door behind him.
But then he spends the entire drive back calling me over and over and over again and yelling and raging and saying, I'm going to turn you into the police.You took something from my phone.What you just did is illegal.You better delete everything.
And I was just like, look, I'm not talking about this.I'm not talking about it.I'm not talking about it.And finally, I just turned my phone off and I tried to sleep.
When she woke up, her first thought was that picture, the one with the child's face cropped out.
My mind went in a million directions as to why he would have this, but I couldn't identify who the kid was.Did someone take this photo and then he just somehow found it?Or did he take it?
Day after day, the photo was all she could think about.She talked with an attorney and described the image, but he confirmed one of her fears, that the image might not meet the standards needed for an arrest.It was right on the edge.
A month after the discovery, James agreed to a joint counseling session.They hadn't seen each other or talked since their fight.
Chelsea wanted the support of a mandated reporter, and she wanted to confront him there, in a neutral environment, to see if he'd confess to more. On top of all that, she was also trying to understand something that was just incomprehensible.
This is part of my trauma too.My go-to coping mechanism is denial and rationalization.And I think I wanted a reason for this not to be what I thought it was.
It might sound naive, but part of her still couldn't believe this was real.She started by asking James about the photos of his friend's wives.
And I said, why do you have these?Do you have permission to have these?Did she know and consent to having these photos?He looked at me and he said, I don't need her consent.It's his property.He took that photo.It's his property to share with me.
And I wanted to puke hearing that.
It was clear that he had thought about this extensively and that he knew how to operate just under the radar.Finally, at the end of their session, she asked about the photos of children and that one photo in particular.
And so in the presence of the couples counselor, I pulled out my phone and I showed him that image and I said, what the fuck is this?When I handed the phone to him with the child image, The tension in that room was just, was wild.
You saw him immediately start to shake.His hands started shaking.He immediately said, that is not a crime.There is no penetration.That is not illegal.He just kept repeating that. He instantly just went into, she stole things off of my phone.
I'm going to prosecute her for that.And at that point, he just said, I'm going to have to go talk to my attorney about your theft of information from my phone.And he left, just got out and left.
She sat there stunned.Chelsea and the therapist sat in silence as they waited for James's car to leave the parking lot.Why did he even bother to come that day? Chelsea has a theory.
Looking back, I think he was trying to figure out what I knew because he knew I found something and he didn't know what I knew.And I think he was doing this to try to protect himself.
Her relationship with James was over, but it was only the beginning of a horrible dilemma for Chelsea.She grappled with reporting him to the police, but she was worried that she didn't have enough evidence.
I felt like what I had wasn't going to be enough.This is right on the cusp.And if I report James, what is going to happen to me?
Chelsea was afraid of James's wealthy, well-connected family.She was also thinking of the legal threats he made and the threats about releasing photos of her.But more than that, she was afraid to report and have nothing happen at all.
It took her back to the way she felt as a child.
When I saw these images on James's phone, it took me back to being those children.And it was so hard not to think about what those children might have been experiencing if they were being abused.
And I can report this person to the police, but is anything going to happen? And can I emotionally handle that?Can I emotionally handle having nothing happen as a result of it?Because unfortunately, that was the childhood thing that was playing out.
I understand where Chelsea is coming from.If you've listened to season two of Betrayal, you heard Ashley Litton's story of how her husband had over 1,000 images of CSAM in his hidden folder. but he served less than a year.
These cases are wildly under-prosecuted, and with only one image as evidence, Chelsea's concerns were valid or rather realistic.But that didn't change her feeling of moral obligation to the girl in the photo and victims like her.
My biggest priority at that point was protecting this particular little girl.
She knew if she was going to report James, she needed professional support to get there.
I knew I was gonna need a lot of therapy, and that's how I met Eric.
Eric was a therapist who checked all the boxes and then some.In fact, he'd been a prosecutor on sex crimes before he went into counseling.
There were no red flags I could have seen with Eric.On paper, he seemed like the perfect therapist.
But she would soon find out he wasn't. So I started taking Symbiotica because I noticed that I was having trouble focusing, I felt groggy when I woke up, and I just needed an overall reset.
Since taking Symbiotica, I've noticed I have improved energy, my focus and mood are better, and I even have clearer skin.Symbiotica is the only supplement company with no seed oils, preservatives, toxins, or natural flavors.
Symbiotica has transformed my life, and I'm so glad to have found a brand that actually cares about its customers.I can finally see a difference in how I function and feel, and I look forward to taking my supplements every day.Really, really good.
Feel more energized, alert, and balanced with high quality supplements that work. Go to symbiotica.com slash betrayal for 20% off on your subscription order.Go to symbiotica.com slash betrayal for 20% off on your subscription order.
If you're like me and trying to find that perfect holiday gift for your little ones, I've got the best recommendation for you.Guardian bikes. I recently bought one for my niece's birthday and it was a total win.
Guardian bikes are known for being the easiest, safest, and quickest bikes for kids to learn on.My niece went from never riding a bike before to confidently cruising around in just one day.No training wheels required.
Watching her face light up with pride and excitement as she found her balance was priceless. One thing I love about Guardian Bikes is their focus on safety.
They've got this unique SureStop braking system that makes it super easy for kids to stop safely, so you don't have to worry about your little ones taking any tumbles.
If you're thinking about what to get your kids or grandkids this holiday season, I can't recommend Guardian Bikes enough.It's not just a bike.It's a gift of confidence, adventure, and unforgettable memories.
Join the hundreds of thousands of happy families by getting a Guardian bike today.Their holiday sales have begun, offering the biggest deal of the year.Save up to 25% on bikes, no code needed.
Plus, get free shipping and a free bike lock and pump with your first purchase after signing up for their newsletter.Visit guardianbikes.com to take advantage of these deals and secure your holiday gifts today.Happy riding.
Dating, it's tough out there.You download apps and swipe and swipe. You know you can spend 40 plus hours swiping 1,500 times for one date?Why are you still wasting time on the dating apps?You've got to try Talkify.This is not a dating app.
Talkify has real human matchmakers and dating coaches providing you with all the resources, info, and tools you need to find a real connection. Think it's all talk?
Their proven process goes beyond profiles to help you find your person with less stress and more success.In fact, over 80% of Talkify users find relationships.And you're six and a half times more likely to find your match with Talkify than on an app.
Reclaim your time and let Talkify be your executive assistant for your dating life.They interview every potential match by video to ensure authenticity and safety. no public profiles, and all contact info remains private.
Visit T-A-W-K-I-F-Y dot com and stop swiping, wishing, or waiting.Start your journey to finding that special someone today.Talkify.No swiping, no games, no settling.Chelsea began working with a therapist for Going to Call Eric.
And quickly, Eric became a big part of her life.She started seeing him three times a week.
I felt like I was coming into that scenario with my guts pulled out.It was just like, what do I do with all this?
She was working up to being able to report her ex, James, and she needed a safe place like Eric's office to process her trauma, starting with her childhood abuse.
Working with Eric, he was able to help me accept some of these bigger terms that I was uncomfortable with.
terms like trafficking and incest.
Like, is this the right term?I started seeing Eric to have that space to unpack the sexual abuse trauma and was just very early stages of unpacking that.
At the same time, she was haunted by the images she'd seen on James's phone.It became all-consuming.
I couldn't close my eyes at night and not see these children. I just kept fixating on who is this child?
Because Eric had been a prosecutor, she trusted his perspective.And Eric wasn't so sure she should report James.In fact, he worried she was taking on too much personal responsibility.
And one thing Eric would tell me all the time was, Chelsea, you can't solve this.You are not Batman.You can't figure this out.
Since they broke up, James deleted all of his social media.She heard through the grapevine he was saying he'd been hacked, but Chelsea suspected it could be related to what she saw on his phone.
She worried that while she waited to report him, he could be deleting or destroying evidence.And Eric helped her understand the pathology of people like James.
Eric would talk to me about these types of individuals, these types of predators.He would talk about their behaviors.His exact quote was, every once in a while, they freak out and purge, but they eventually go back to doing it.
After two months of working with Eric, Chelsea felt ready to report James.She began to see it as the only way out.
I thought that maybe if I could face these things now, maybe that would make the nightmares of the kids stop.
But Eric dug in.He still wasn't sure reporting was the right decision for Chelsea.
When I started saying that I really felt like I needed to turn James in, Eric was encouraging me not to.He said I needed to let go of the relationship.
Eric felt like Chelsea wasn't properly grieving and moving on from her relationship with James.And that by fixating on these photos, she was trying to stay connected to him somehow.One night, it just hit her.
She knew who the girl in the photo could be.
This image that's been haunting me, there's no face.But the ages are the right ages.
James did have a friend with two young daughters.Chelsea hadn't put those pieces together before, so she did some internet sleuthing.
I turned Facebook on.I went on these parents' Facebook profile and couldn't believe what I saw. I was like, that's it.It's gotta be this kid.The ages are the right age.The cabinetry looks the same as like in these photos that are showing up.
I mean, I'm full-on facelift detective at this point.This could be that same house.Same wall color, same cabinets.This has gotta be it.
James had access to these kids.If this was the girl in the photo, reporting him felt more urgent than ever.Despite Eric's advice, Chelsea had made up her mind.
I called my lawyer.I'm like, I gotta report this.And he helped set up a meeting with a detective in the town that James lived, who was the head of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.And we set up a meeting for that following Monday.
After she set the meeting, she went to her regular therapy appointment with Eric, and she felt empowered.
I remember sitting there with Eric saying, things are going to change.I'm going to identify.I'm going to know.The next time I'm in a room with a person like this, I'm going to know.I'm going to know it.I'm going to know everything about this person.
I'm going to be able to pick them out of a room.And I remember Eric was really uncomfortable.
Eric ended her session early that day.Chelsea planned to prepare for the meeting with police in her next therapy session.
And I remember going to his office and I was hyped.Like, I had my narratives partially written.I was like, I'm gonna do this.
But on the day of that therapy session, Eric wasn't there.
He was never late.I usually, when I pulled in, I would park next to his car.The car wasn't there. 10 minutes go by.I'm looking at the receptionist.They're like, this is really weird.We can't get ahold of him.And she's calling.
She's like, the phone's going straight to voicemail.I don't understand what's happening.They said, we're going to get another clinician.
Just please wait.This was her last session before she finally went to the police.She really needed guidance.So another therapist from the practice agreed to see Chelsea that day.
And I was like, something is wrong.Eric is never late.Our last session was kind of weird.I felt like maybe I made him uncomfortable.And I could tell by the way she was responding to me, too.She was like, something's not right either.
I could sense it.And I started telling her what happened.I was like, this is what I've been dealing with.Eric was telling me not to do it.
Like, I needed to, like, grieve this relationship, that doing this was just going to, like, let it perpetuate on.I wasn't going to need a closure.She's like, no, you're doing the right thing.You're doing the right thing.
After that session, she finally reported James.
That Monday morning, I got up, I met with the detective, and we had a three-hour recorded interview.I showed him everything, told him the same story that I'm telling you now.He was so validating.
And he said, he told me, he's like, this isn't contraband, but it is absolutely wrong.And you were doing absolutely the right thing by reporting it. but I want to manage your expectations.
There are things I can try to do, but this by itself isn't enough."And I was like, I know.That's why it's taken me so long to get here.
At the end of their meeting, the detective assured her that they'd do everything they could.She left the station relieved.It had been a difficult and draining day, but the day was far from over.
So I got my car, went back home to where I lived.I have been in my house for less than 15 minutes.I've literally walked in the door, gone to the bathroom, opened a LaCroix.
And then she saw an email come in from her therapist's office.
And it says I'm receiving this letter because I'm a client of Eric's and that they were notified that he was arrested and that he was immediately terminated and they were reaching out to me to facilitate continued care.
One of the last things it says is any questions related to the status of Eric may be directed towards, and they provide a detective's name and a phone number.And I'm like, oh my God.I already knew.Everything in my body knew what had happened.
He went to the court records website and typed in Eric's name.I see possession of child pornography.
I am looking at this mugshot of this person, and this is a person I have just spent the last several months with in the most In the most intimate and trusting of a relationship, I shared things with this person I had never said out loud before.
And I am looking at a photo of his face being charged with the exact same things that traumatized me.
just sat there staring at the screen, just feeling like I wanted to tear my skin off, thinking about every detail I told this person, and then thinking that they were sexually aroused by these things.
Then she pulled up the police report, and what she read there was a nightmare.
They seized all of his electronic equipment.They found thousands of videos.And the descriptions are horrific.
She replayed all the things he'd said in sessions with her.
Then thinking about all of those things he told me about how a predator would behave, I'm like, he was telling me about his own behavior. And I started vomiting.
The person she'd turn to in this situation would be a therapist.I didn't know what to do next.
There were so many layers of things I had to process.I could not have told this story to a worse person.
For the first time in her life, she took a leave of absence from work.
When Eric got arrested, I just hit an emotional rock bottom.And I realized my coping mechanisms don't work anymore.I can't outperform this.
During this time, mental health was her main priority.She started group therapy, which proved to be healing.I needed a room of people to say, that's fucked up.
That shouldn't happen.I needed to see that outrage from someone.And what we called it in my program was reality checking.You need the validation.That whole like, wow, this feels really wrong.Would this be wrong to you?
And people are like, yeah, that would be really wrong.
While she was working on stabilizing herself, she got an update from the police about her report on James.They didn't have enough to arrest him, but the police had done a knock and talk.
When they told him that someone observed a concerning image of a child on his phone, he said, it didn't come from my phone, and if it did, it wasn't illegal.And then this is the really telling thing.
He asked the police officer if they're prosecuting me for taking stuff off of his phone.
As far as Chelsea knows, that's the only outcome of her report.
So to this day, this guy will stand out there and scream that he was in this relationship with this crazy woman who's trying to ruin his life and, you know, that I was the bad guy.
As for Eric, he pled guilty to distributing child sexual abuse material and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. That same year, Chelsea decided to move across the country and start over.
It ended up taking about four years before I was able to confidently say that these things happened and not doubt myself, not blame myself, not think that this is my fault or my responsibility.And today?
I'm really proud to say I have created the life I've always dreamed of. And I'm glad that every day now going forward is better than any day that I've had before this happened.So there's a rebirth in it.
We end all of our weekly episodes with the same question. Why did you choose to tell your story?
The reason I reached out is I was just so inspired by the stories that were shared.I was so inspired listening to other survivors.And the ability to retell this story and release it is so significant.
And I hope that someone else hearing this feels empowered to do the same.These kinds of things only exist in a world of silence and denial.And I hope by breaking my silence, it allows someone else to feel empowered to break their own.
Whether they got a conviction, whether the police took it seriously, whether their abuser acknowledged it, whether their family believed it, it doesn't make it your fault.It happened.And it was never your fault.
on the next episode of Betrayal. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team or want to tell us your betrayal story, email us at BetrayalPod at gmail.com.That's BetrayalPod at gmail.com.We're grateful for your support.
One way to show support is by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts.And don't forget to rate and review Betrayal.Five-star reviews go a long way.A big thank you to all of our listeners.
Betrayal is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts.The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Jennifer Faison.Hosted and produced by me, Andrea Gunning.
Written and produced by Monique Laborde.Also produced by Ben Fetterman.Associate producers are Kristen Mulcury and Caitlin Golden.Our iHeart team is Allie Perry and Jessica Kreincheck.Audio editing and mixing by Matt Dalvecchio.
Additional editing support from Nico Arruca and Tanner Robbins.Betrayals theme composed by Oliver Baines.Music library provided by MIB Music.
And for more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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