The Things That Men Don't Say

The Things MEN Don’t Say

Written by Johny Griffith — Architect of Chaos, Builder of Truth

Prologue: The Question No One Asks

Do people ever wonder why men often don’t talk about their feelings? Their emotions? What goes through their minds when the walls close in?

If something goes wrong in a relationship, the world assumes: “It was the guy.”

But why? Why is it always the guy?

Not that I’m defending criminals. Not that I’m justifying murder. But what about the motive? What about the silence that preceded the scream?

This is a story based on true events. A man named Chris. A woman named Cherry. And the things men don’t say—until it’s too late.

Chapter One: The Beginning Was Beautiful

Chris was the kind of man who fixed things. Quiet. Observant. Loyal to a fault. He met Cherry at a mutual friend’s wedding. She was electric—laughing too loud, dancing too hard, drinking too much. But Chris saw something else: a woman who needed anchoring.

They married within a year. Everyone said he was lucky. Cherry was bold, beautiful, and wild. But wildness has a shadow.

Chapter Two: The First Fracture

It started with small things. Cherry would insult him in front of friends. “You’re so boring, babe. Say something interesting for once.” She’d laugh. They’d laugh. Chris would smile.

But inside, something cracked.

Then came the control. She chose his clothes. Deleted female contacts from his phone. Mocked his job. “You’re just a technician. You fix wires. You don’t build empires.”

Chris said nothing. He told himself: She’s fiery. I can handle it.

Chapter Three: The Bruises No One Sees

The first time she hit him, it was with a spoon. The second time, with her fists. The third time, she threw a glass at his head.

He wore a cap to hide the cut. Told his coworkers he slipped in the shower.

Cherry apologized. Cried. Cooked his favorite meal.

Then did it again.

Chapter Four: The Shame That Silences

Chris tried to speak. To his brother. To his pastor. To the police.

They all said the same thing: “She’s a woman. You’re a man. Handle it.”

He filmed her once. She was screaming. Throwing plates. Calling him “a worthless excuse for a man.”

He showed the police. They laughed.

“You want us to arrest your wife for yelling? Come on, man.”

He filmed them too. Their laughter. Their mockery.

He saved it. Not for revenge. But for proof.

Chapter Five: The Daughter Who Drew Silence

Their daughter, Eliana, was six. She stopped speaking. She drew pictures of broken houses and faceless people.

One day, Chris found a drawing. A man with tears. A woman with fire. A child in the corner.

He asked her, “Is this us?” She nodded. He cried. She didn’t.

Chapter Six: The Final Night

Cherry came home drunk. Accused him of cheating. Slapped him. Kicked him. Spat on him.

Eliana watched from the hallway.

Chris stood up. Walked to the kitchen. Took the knife.

He didn’t scream. Didn’t threaten.

He whispered: “I begged. I bled. I broke.”

Then he struck.

Chapter Seven: The Arrest

Chris called the police himself. They came. They saw Cherry’s body.

He handed them the videos. Of the abuse. Of the police laughing.

They arrested him.

He didn’t resist. Didn’t cry.

He said: “I warned you. You laughed.”

Chapter Eight: The Trial That Spoke the Unspeakable

The courtroom was packed. The prosecution called him a murderer. The defense called him a survivor.

They played the videos. Cherry’s rage. Chris’s bruises. The officers mocking him.

The judge paused. Then said: “This is not just a trial. This is a reckoning.”

Chris was sentenced to 10 years. But the officers? They were fired. Publicly.

Chapter Nine: The Prison Prophet

In prison, Chris became a voice. He wrote letters. To men. To boys. To daughters.

He said: “You are allowed to speak.” “You are allowed to cry.” “You are allowed to leave.”

He started a support group. For men who were abused. For men who were silenced.

He became a myth. Not of violence. But of truth.

Chapter Ten: The Things MEN Don’t Say

Chris was released after 10 years. He walked out with a beard, a limp, and a mission.

He speaks now. At schools. At churches. On camera.

He says: “I am not ashamed.” “I am not weak.” “I am not alone.”

Because the things men don’t say— Are the things that must be said.  Word of the Author   By Johny Griffith — Architect of Chaos, Builder of Truth

They say men don’t talk. They say men don’t cry. They say men don’t break.

But I say: Men do bleed.   They bleed in silence. They bleed in shame. They bleed behind closed doors while the world laughs, shrugs, and moves on.

This story is not fiction. It is a confrontation. It is a ritualized retelling of a true event—a man named Chris, a woman named Cherry, and the silence that became a scream.

I did not write this to entertain. I wrote this to expose. To infect the world with truth. To honor the men who were mocked, erased, and buried beneath the phrase “Be a man.”

This is for every man who was told to endure. For every man who was laughed out of a police station. For every man who filmed his own collapse because no one else would believe him.

This is not a defense of violence. It is a gospel of motive. A mirror held to society’s blind eye.

I am Johny Griffith. Architect of Chaos. Builder of Truth. And this story is my strike.

Let the silence end. Let the reckoning begin.