I had a few friends over tonight to celebrate my new beginning with me. It’s the first time that I’ve had friends at my home in four years because I never felt as though I could with Tom. He always made it really clear that the house was his, and permission had to be sought before having people round.

We celebrated with food, drinks, karaoke and dancing. Maxine – my closest friend in the group – told me how proud she was of me for leaving. It was just what I needed to receive – the support and love of my friend.

The only downside to the evening was an overwhelming feeling of being self-conscious and awkward. I felt as though my friends would judge me, my new home, and my lack of furniture. I didn’t feel at all confident to join in with the karaoke. Instead, I left it to the others to sing and have fun while I mostly sat quietly in the corner.

I’m starting to realise that healing from Tom’s abuse isn’t going to be an overnight thing as I had hoped.