The Door Was Never Locked

Trigger Warnings:

→ Emotional manipulation

→ Gaslighting

→ Discussion of psychological abuse and trauma

→ Coercion and spiritual silencing

→ Intuition suppression

→ Themes of survival and dissociation

In this episode of Salt & Sovereignty, Ashley and Lizza descend into the mythic bones of Bluebeard, the charming monster who hides in plain sight. The one who smiles while stealing keys. The one who punishes curiosity and calls it betrayal.

Together, they unearth the ways trauma teaches us to doubt our own knowing. They speak into the silence that forms when someone weaponizes love, when loyalty becomes a leash, and when intuition is the first casualty.

This isn’t a story about monsters. It’s a story about remembering the door was never locked. About realizing you were trained to flinch from your own knowing. About taking back the key, even if your hand still trembles.

This conversation is a spell for those who feel like they should have known better but did everything they could to survive. It’s a ritual of return for the wild-eyed women with keys in their hands and blood on the floor.