I don't know if any of you have found yourselves in a situation akin to mine. For the record, I'm not attempting to justify the indefensible. I simply wish for you to comprehend why I committed what I deem my gravest error. I never possessed the liberty to do anything in my life, perpetually stifled by my mother who believed I should conduct myself as a lady from a respectable family.

This meant I couldn't choose my friends—only those she approved of, who did nothing but mistreat me and ridicule my ignorance of the world beyond my doorstep. I wasn't allowed to select my own attire or voice any objections,...