I can still remember sitting in the pitch black in my living room, the curtains drawn, too scared to move. As the doorbell rang non-stop with a piercing wail, I could see my phone light up with a flood of text messages. “I know you’re in there,” they said. “I heard you moving around inside.”

Fifteen years ago, I was stalked by a controlling and coercive ex-boyfriend. The experience was so terrifying that I went into hiding, both online and in real…