Escaping abuse: Simone's brave journey to freedom

Simone said the aim of the story was to inspire those experiencing domestic abuse to understand it was never too late for change, and there was hope of living a life which wasn’t bound by abuse.

“I was 46 when I ran away from home, leaving everything,” Simone said.

“28 years of marriage, comfortable, cars, holiday house, I signed everything over just for peace, even my jewellery, I left everything.

“Now I want other women to have their stories down and feel at peace of mind.”

Simone’s story took more than a year to write and was released on Mother’s Day this year.

She began recounting her experiences on paper after suffering a nervous breakdown last year when hearing that domestic violence claims the lives of women across Australia every week.

“There was so much focus on deaths of women last year, it triggered a nervous breakdown in me,” she said.

“How lucky I was that I survived.

“My fear was ‘what if I died and no one ever knew my side of the story?’.

“At least now I have it in print and I am at peace.”

Writing her story down became a cathartic experience but what surprised her was the response from other women experiencing similar situations.

“We are like a sisterhood of survivors, you don't know who’s been in this situation because you don’t talk about it,” Simone said.

“People wouldn’t believe what goes on behind closed doors, because it isn't witnessed.”

“(Writing) took me back to a place of fear. I felt sorry for myself, I live such an opposite life now, and I hurt for myself.

“I didn’t set out to write the book, it simply began as a journal as to what happened ... it was horrific to relive those emotions again.”

Simone will present her journey at the Yarrawonga Library next month, and aspires to one day have her story produced on-screen.

To purchase a copy of We Met on a Cruise, visit https://www.wemetonacruise.net/ or visit the Cobram newsagency.