An A&E Original Podcast.

This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault, violence, and suicidal ideation.

Listener discretion is advised.

Hey, I'm. discretion is advised.

He gave me his name.

He gave me his years in the military.

He gave me his, you know, when we got to the house,

he talked about his family.

He didn't try and hide anything.

He didn't try and pose to be someone who had to hide.

It's only after he hit that crack, then he changed into something different.

Vanessa Gay grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and was raised at Jehovah's Witness.

I had two brothers and a sister. My brother had sickle cell anemia.

It was like a lot on my mom. She was a single parent and I didn't want to be a burden so

everything that I did I had to do the best in high school. I had to be the best. I couldn't get B's or C's. I would feel very like I was a failure.

And I think that developed into my adult life.

I was always an overachiever.

I was one of Jehovah's Witnesses,

and when you go against what you're taught,

sometimes negative things happen. I met my husband or who

came to be my husband and from then on that's where I started to use drugs. That's where Crack entered the end to my story.

He was lacing weed with crack and I didn't know.

...