I donated the coat I was wearing when he attacked me

Dear Delyara, I kept the coat I was wearing the night my former partner assaulted me. I never wore it again. It stayed in a sealed bag through three apartments because throwing it away felt like destroying evidence and keeping it felt like preserving a crime scene. After legal proceedings ended and therapy had progressed, I photographed it, documented what was needed, then took it to a textile recycling center. I stood beside the bin for nearly twenty minutes. Eventually, I let go. The coat disappeared among other fabric. Nothing dramatic happened. My memory remained. My body remained. The evidence required for my case had already been preserved elsewhere. Healing did not mean the coat became harmless. It meant I no longer needed a piece of fabric occupying cupboard space to prove that what happened to me was real.