Shattered

By Cynthia Knowles

See Cynthia’s courage as she shares her true story of the terror of domestic violence, manipulation, and extraordinary life events. The illusion of a cookie-cutter, all-American family shattered with dark secrets hidden within their Texas home. She’ll leave you on edge, compelled to read further in anticipation of what’s next. With suspenseful twists and turns, Shattered will take you into the horror of the deep places of domestic violence and on a journey through the unexpected.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638851653

Book preview

Chapter 1

When Are You Going to Write That Book?

Before I continue, I want to say this book is not a he said, she said book. It is a true account of a portion of my life that I believe very strongly I am supposed to write about. I really fought writing it, though. I had come to the conclusion that it wasn’t meant to be, and I was very okay with that.

I had already written it and attempted in every way I could think of to get it published, and it just wasn’t happening. My book was dead and buried, you might say, especially when I had lost every copy I had! The very desire to write it was gone as well. I no longer cared if it was written. My dream of becoming an author had died. I know, I know. Then why am I reading it? you ask, right? Well, after a decade of being content with not writing, people began asking me questions right out of the blue about it! Total strangers coming right out and saying things to me about my book!

One day my daughter took me to the doctor’s office. We had just moved from Ohio to another state, so I had to get reestablished with a new doctor. I had never been to this state nor to this doctor. My doctor walked into the room and began asking me questions about my health. Suddenly the doctor stopped, looked at me, and asked, When are you going to write that book? My daughter and I were amazed! We looked at each other and then turned to the doctor and asked, "What??!! We just could not believe what we were hearing! My doctor said, When are you going to write that book? You’re supposed to write a book!"

This was my first visit to this doctor in a state I had just moved to! This was not, however, the first time I was questioned about my book. A couple of men had commented on my book a few months previously. I said, Okay, I surrender. I surrender. I finally knew I must write my book. Thank you, Dr. Simpson!

Initially I was uncertain if I would be able to rewrite the book. In all honesty, I really did not want to visit those dark places in my life anymore. However, with so many asking me about it, how could I refuse? So my journey began…

Chapter 2

Childhood

I hope that as you read, you will see my intent. I wish not to condemn anyone. For you to know the depths of my story, I must include some intense events so you may see the extraordinarily good ones. So off we go…

I was born in Texas in the fifties, where the man was a he-man and women got told what to do. A do as I say, not as I do mentality, at least where I came from. I cannot tell you how many times my own husband told me those very words. To obey my husband was written in our very wedding vows.

My life growing up was not any kind of normal. We were always moving. As a young girl, I can remember staring at boxes filled with my clothes. I studied those boxes intently as they sat in my closet. I was bound and determined to make them into a dresser. Hmmm, maybe if I take this box and stack it onto that box, I would think. It was, of course, a very futile attempt. No matter how long I studied, I just could not make those boxes into a dresser. I was so embarrassed of having to live out of boxes. But it was not as if I had any company come to visit me. I rarely had someone over because of the fighting and moving so much; it was difficult to make any lasting friends. Back to the dresser, I would not get one of my own until age fifteen. It was not my momma’s fault. She certainly tried with the limited amount of money she was given to work with.

I loved my momma so much that I wanted to spend time with her instead of school. I literally would get an upset stomach if she took me to school, so she let me stay at home with her a lot.

Some things were fun about moving days; it was like a vacation. Mom would buy me snacks or make me homemade doughnuts. Mom’s homemade