Later, the police told me I was not the first.
Adrian was not even his real name.
He and others had targeted older women before — women who lived alone, women who were widowed, women who were ashamed to speak.
They counted on silence.
They counted on fear.
They counted on women like me blaming themselves.
Now I am telling this story because I want other women to hear me clearly:
Loneliness can make you trust the wrong smile.
A few warm words can feel like rescue when you have spent years being invisible.
But please, think twice before trusting someone you barely know, no matter how kind, charming, or sincere they seem.
Sometimes the price of one night of warmth can be far too high.
And if someone ever tries to shame you into silence, remember this:
The shame belongs to the person who used your loneliness against you.
Not to you.
