Women who have experienced child marriage, or forced/ abusive marriages, what made you feel like you were forced to stay, even if you had the opportunity to leave?

Hi everyone,

I hope this is okay to ask here, I tried to ask r/askwomen however my post has too many characters for there?

I'm a woman currently planning and researching a dark fantasy novel that focuses heavily on women's experiences, particularly the ways women can become trapped by family, marriage, duty, religion, and social expectations.

One of my main characters is married off as a child and later experiences sexual violence within that marriage. While the book is fictional, I don't want to write her experiences based purely on assumptions or common tropes. I want her emotional journey to feel human and truthful.

Something I've noticed in a lot of fantasy (and fiction in general) is that female characters often experience forced marriage, child marriage, or sexual assault, but the story rarely spends much time on the aftermath. It happens, it is used as character development, and then the character seems to move on with very little exploration of what they actually felt, how they coped, or how it changed their relationship with themselves and others.

I'm particularly interested in hearing from women who experienced child marriage, forced marriage, or situations where they felt pressured into staying in a marriage they did not want.

If there was a way out, why did it still feel impossible to leave?

Was it fear? Family expectations? Religion? Financial dependence? Love? Shame? Concern for children? Something else entirely?

What did the situation feel like from the inside, compared to how outsiders might have viewed it?

Were there thoughts, emotions, or contradictions that people who haven't experienced it often fail to understand?

Please don't feel any pressure to share anything you're uncomfortable discussing. Even small insights would be incredibly valuable, and I will read every response with respect and gratitude.

Thank you to anyone willing to share their experiences.