Burnt Toast & Blood Transfusions

by E.J. Marlow

She gave birth. She almost died. Her husband told her she should've.

There are no bold words like "domestic violence" or "abuse" on the front cover of this book.

That's intentional.

Because some women are still living with the man who hurts them-and they can't risk him seeing what they're reading.

This is an undercover memoir.

A lifeline wrapped in story.

A witness statement for the ones still whispering to themselves, "Something's wrong."

E.J. Marlow survived a high-risk twin pregnancy, an ICU stay after a postpartum hemorrhage, and a marriage that was quietly destroying her long before doctors ever used the word critical.

Her husband didn't raise his voice. He just erased her.

He gave her the silent treatment for days.

He tracked her spending.

He punished her with coldness.

He called her names in front of their child.

And when she almost died, he looked at her and said, "You should've."

Burnt Toast & Blood Transfusions isn't just a memoir.

It's a lifeline for women who wonder:

• Is this emotional abuse?
• If he's not hitting me, why does it still feel so dangerous?
• Why can't I leave?
• Who am I now?

This book is for women:

• Married to narcissists or emotionally unsafe partners
• Trying to mother while unraveling
• In therapy and still unsure if it "counts" as abuse
• Searching for stories that sound like theirs-and finding none that go this deep

Told in raw, devastating vignettes, this is what motherhood looks like after the bleeding, after the gaslighting, after the night she realized no one was coming to save her.

She saved herself.

And now she's telling the truth-for the ones who still can't.

If you've ever whispered "this isn't love" into your pillow-this book is for you.