Killing CandaceWhen Candace West first met Paddy Partridge, her gut instincts weren’t very encouraging. In fact, her sixth sense warned her to stay away. Paddy wasn’t the type she usually dated, but he made it impossible to say no. Their first month together was a whirlwind with Paddy proving to be her ideal dream guy. Who would’ve thought a young makeup artist who works on movie sets would fall in love with bad boy, Paddy Partridge? Paddy moved into Candace’s home three weeks after they met, slowly transitioning from dream guy to an insulting, controlling, nightmare, where Candace felt bound by a duty to help Paddy that was fuelled by guilt and feeling sorry for him. You see, Paddy arrived with his own victim story from day one, and this is why Candace excused the violent behaviour. Candace tiptoed around on eggshells in a toxic relationship, navigating her way through the traps of domestic violence for years before she found the courage to leave, only to soon learn the police were powerless to intervene against her stalker. After a terrifying incident, Candace is left with life threatening injuries, but her nightmare is far from over. It’s not about how we fall apart, what matters is how we put ourselves back together. Killing Candace is for victims of domestic violence who experience the mind games in toxic relationships, making it impossible to navigate their way to safety. Killing Candace may help family and friends understand their loved ones cannot simply walk away from the relationship as it may be dangerous to leave without a prearranged exit plan. Killing Candace is for everyone because recognising the early warning signs may save innocent lives from further trauma, or in some cases, even death. Killing Candace leaves our society with some tough questions: Can the government and judiciary system do more to protect victims? How should society punish abusers who cannot change and refuse to accept accountability? How can society work together to intervene early to stop domestic violence from progressing to dangerous and deadly outcomes? |