I grew up in rural Maryland, was first in my family to attend college and worked my way through law school. We didn’t have much, but I was taught three important things: the value of my good name; the importance of truth, justice, and commitment; and how to reach down in my gut and pray to God for strength.

I still loved my cheating husband. I still believed in marriage, the vows we had exchanged about sickness and health and the importance of the family we had built together. I was certain our marriage had not been a mistake, or else our children would have been. And if I wasn’t strong enough to demand fairness for myself, how could I show my own daughters how to be women of principle?

So I took the witness stand and defended my honor against those who sought to silence me. A year later, the court dismissed the complaint in its entirety. But my husband never did come home, and we were eventually divorced.