There’s a difference between indulging in fantasy and reading with awareness.
I know where the line is now. I know what belongs on the page and what doesn’t belong in my real life. That clarity didn’t come from avoiding dark stories — it came from engaging with them consciously.
Books give me a safe distance. A place to observe power, desire, and vulnerability without surrendering my agency. I can sit with the discomfort, learn from it, and close the book when I’ve had enough.
That’s not loss of control.
That’s discernment.
Reading Trauma Mama: Velvet & Taboo 