What He Never Knew (What He Doesn't Know, #3)(105)
If you become a victim of sexual assault, call 911 or RAINN at 1-800-656-HOPE immediately. Just like in Sarah’s situation, four out of five rapes are committed by someone known by the victim. Similarly, 68% of rapes are not reported to the police, and 98% of rapists never spend a day in jail or prison.
This was a big reason why I chose to tackle Sarah’s situation the way I did. I wanted to be real, to be raw, to steer away from the easy, happy ever ending and touch on the horrible reality that sometimes, even when you do everything right, justice is not served. It breaks my heart that we see this happen so often — to strangers in the news, to our friends, to our family — but even so, we must still fight against sexual assaulters and the injustices in our system.
If you’re like Sarah, you may feel that it’s useless to tell anyone — especially if the first person you trust to tell doesn’t handle it appropriately. It may feel embarrassing, or you may worry no one will believe you, or, even if they do, that the abuser will end up winning in the end, anyway. But, no matter what, what I hope you will understand is that it is not your fault and there is help available.
Maybe it won’t all turn out perfectly. Maybe it won’t be the justice you want. But, it will be a fight, it will be a spotlight on that person who hurt you, and it will be you not sitting back and letting it all go. You are a human, a person, a living, breathing being — and you deserve to be treated like one. Fight for justice. Fight for yourself.
I hope you never find yourself in this situation and that you never have in the past, but if you’re reading this and you feel isolated and alone, please, reach out to someone. Reach out to a friend, a family member — hell, reach out to me. You can email me at [email protected]. I am always here, and I care about you — every single one of you.
Take care of your mind, your body, and your soul. You’re the only one who can.
For more information and resources, please visit www.rainn.org.
Music was an instrumental part of creating this story. As you may have noticed in the eBook edition of this book, I linked to several songs along the way to give the readers the same experience I had while writing. For me, music has always been tied to every facet of my life, and I believe it has the power to move us as much as words do. Below is a link to the What He Never Knew playlist on Spotify, as well as a list of song titles and artists who I played on repeat while writing this book. I hope you enjoy it.
Playlist
Debussy — Footprints in the Snow Beethoven — Moonlight
Sjors Mans — Without You
Yiruma — River Flows in You Benny Andersson — Embassy Lament Mozart — Sonata 17
Robert Gafforelli — Sentiment Franz Liszt — Hungarian Rhapsody Fran?ois Couperin, Alexandre Tharuad: Les Barricades Mistérieuses Gene Kelly — You Were Meant For Me Sampha — No One Knows Me Like the Piano Debussy — La Plus Que Lente Bach — Prelude and Fugue
Debussy — Claire De Lune
Just when I thought the writing and editing process couldn’t get more challenging, I tackled Reese and Sarah’s story. To say this one put me through the ringer would be a gross understatement. These were the most complex characters I’ve ever written, and I know I wouldn’t have made it out alive if I didn’t have an amazing team.
First of all, I have to thank Drew Pace, an old friend who came through in the most amazing way for this project. Drew, your knowledge of piano — not just the instrument, but the career, the journey of being someone tied to classical — it was absolutely invaluable. Hearing your stories helped shape this story, and without you, I wouldn’t have been able to tap into the emotions, to the lessons, to the challenges. I really am at a loss for words, and I don’t know that I can ever truly thank you enough to feel like it’s adequate for all you did to contribute to this book’s success. Thank you for being so open and honest with me, and for taking time out of YOUR busy schedule to help me create art. You are truly a gem in this world and I’m so happy to know you!
Staci Brillhart. In every book I’ve ever written since the day we first met, you have been on my team. You’ve been cheering me on, helping me work through the tough spots, celebrating when I achieved what I set out to do. But, with this book more so than any other, you provided tough, RELEVANT feedback that truly helped shape this into the final product it was always meant to be. And, more than anything, you believed in me when even I didn’t. You knew I could survive the edits when I was looking at the notes and wanting to cry. I felt like I’d failed, like these characters would never come to life the way I wanted to, and you helped me pinpoint the biggest challenges and you helped me find solutions. I can never thank you enough for always being in my corner, and please know that even when it hurts, your feedback means more to me than I could ever say. I love you. More than tacos, babe!
Momma, as always, I could never do this without you. You raised me to be strong, to be independent, to chase my dreams and never, EVER let the setbacks make me quit. I don’t know how you do all that you do, but I am thankful every day that I got the resilient gene from you. I love you.
To the lovely Karla Sorensen and Kathryn Andrews, you two babes helped me SO MUCH in these edits. Thank you for taking the time and the care to help me really bring these characters to life. Your insight is always so valuable, and I could not do this without you. More than your help on this book, thank you both for being such amazing friends to me. I love our trips, sleepovers, laughs and late nights. I never want to do this without you. Let’s stick together — always!