I work in an environment where I often hear about one’s real life traumas. I’m secretly turned on by them.

One such story is of a 19 year old woman who went in search of her biological father. She was able to find his phone number and called him one day. They had an emotional reunion over the phone and talked for hours. This was followed by numerous more calls and email exchanges, as the two began to form a foundational relationship. The young woman, having been adopted as a baby, reported feeling, “like I belonged somewhere for the first time.”

The two of them made arrangements to meet in person, and he invited her to have lunch at his home. He met her at the front door when she arrived and they embraced and cried together. After lunch, they talked for hours, catching each other up on their lives and marveling at the wonderment of it all. He invited her to stay the night. She agreed.

After saying good night and settling into bed in the guest bedroom, she began to doze. In her half-sleep, she could hear the bedroom door creak open. As soon as her eyes opened, her father was on top of her in the bed, putting his full weight on her so that when she attempted to scream, she could only gasp. She felt his had yank down on her panties and she attempted to scream again, and again could only gasp. She reported feeling trapped by her inability to scream and panic swept through her as he began to penetrate her. She reported that the remainder of the rape was difficult to recall, but noted a distinct memory of him grunting loudly as he thrust inside her. She blacked out soon after.

She woke up the next morning face down on the floor of the bedroom, bruised between her legs, panties down around her knees. The memory of the assault was patchy, but immediately present, and she began to cry. She reported that she was eventually able to pull herself up and wrap the blanket around herself. Her body was terribly sore. She reached out her trembling hand for the doorknob and discovered that the door was locked. She pulled at the door violently and screamed out for help, a fresh new wave of panic overwhelmed her as she was realizing that her nightmare was only beginning.

He kept her there for three more days of assault, violation, and horror.