There's no time for ceremonial goodbyes, waiting for apologies and granting forgiveness, nor waiting any longer hoping for change.
A person might leave fast because things have become so dire it would be unsafe to not slip out in secret.
Or perhaps, leaving suddenly and in one motion is the only way a person can feel what they need to feel in order to actually go through with what's best for them.
Some Redditors talked about the times they shot out the door and never turned their heads.
tya_the_Lawyer asked, "Those who packed up and ran away/moved out without saying anything, how did you do it and why?"
Good Old Dad
"I left an abusive boyfriend without saying anything."
"I didn't have a car so I had some people help me move stuff out over a period of a few days."
"My dad came by with a trailer and got the rest of my stuff. He called me when he got home and I told him I was done."
"Blocked him in my phone and on social media."
-- Ginger_Chick
Long Term Investing
"I left a house of roommates when I was in college because they were breaking into my locked room and I once found drugs on my dresser after one of their parties. Waited till they went home for Thanksgiving break, and out the door I went."
"Everything in the house belonged to me besides what was in their own bedrooms. Went to a nice 1 bedroom apt with only me to worry about. I had cleared it with the landlord first, just hadn't told the roommates."
"I wasn't worried about rent because only three of us were on the lease with about 10 people living there, and only the three were paying all the bills."
"It was worth every penny to eat the cost of breaking the lease early."
-- contenttob
Bounced Around, But Better
"I was moving away from my extremely abusive mom. I packed 2 bags, threw them out of my window, bought plane tickets for me & my kid, and had my cousin pick me up & take me to the airport."
"I told my mom we were going to pound (a drum class thing) with my cousin. I blocked my entire family, and talked to my best friend and my sister (who I was flying to)."
"Eventually I checked my phone and unblocked my family. They were all screaming at me trying to find out where I was."
"I called the police and told them what was going on in case they tried to file a missing person case. I was terrified. I was sad. But my life is so much different now."
"I didn't stay with my sister long. Less than a month before her grandma kicked me out. Now I'm living in a different place, in my own apartment, with my own things."
"My kid is happy and not seeing abuse every day. I'm in therapy. I'm still struggling. There are things we need that I definitely can't afford. But I'm doing 100x better than I was in January."
-- nymphaticbaja
A Good Support System = Friends + Trucks
"Realized how abusive my partner was when he finally escalating to hitting me. Then he tried telling me I 'wasn't allowed' to just throw out our relationship without giving him a chance."
"Nope. I've seen that Lifetime made for TV movie ..."
"...so I played nice until he left for work the next day, called up and old friend who showed up within like 2 hours with his 2 roommates and a truck, and left without so much as a note."
"Thank God for good friends."
-- InannasPocket
A Brief and Worthy Case of Car Jacking
"Abusive relationship that was escalating. Escaped while he was at work."
"He had two cars and obviously only took one to work - I did not have a car, we lived in the absolute middle of nowhere where I knew no one, and he had convinced me to get on the same credit card account with him and would revoke my access when he was mad with me."
"In short, he expected me to be stuck without recourse."
"A friend bought me a plane ticket. I drove myself to the airport in the second car."
"Sent him a picture of the car with the parking spot number visible (so he could come get it) right as I was boarding the plan with the word single word: 'Bye.'"
"I was homeless/couch surfing for a little bit after that. Could have gone really, really bad. Life is good now."
-- AggressiveExcitement
A Hell of an Afternoon
"First husband wasn't a bad person but he was a lousy husband. I was lonely and isolated and basically a housemaid who paid the bills, and had been moving out 'in my head' for some time."
"We were at an actual social event for once and somehow he decided that I made a joke at his expense (I hadn't) so he wasn't talking to me. He was a pro at the silent treatment."
"I figured that since I was buying and cooking and washing up and cleaning and doing the yard work and laundry for two people while unhappy, it would be much easier doing it for one person, whether happy or otherwise."
"I left my rings on the front hall table, called a friend with a van, and was gone by noon. Had a new PO Box, bank account, and apartment by 3pm."
-- Flahdagal
Finding Something Better
"Had an abusive boyfriend. I waited until he went to work and packed a few of my things thinking the rest didn't matter as long as I had my life."
"I called a close friend who had said if there was ever anything he could do for me...guess who paid for my plane ticket."
"He is now my fiancé and I've never been in a better relationship."
-- Think-Anywhere-7751
Steer Clear of Drama
"I was living in a 2 bedroom condo with my landlord in the other room. I am gay, he's gay, and he has a boyfriend."
"The boyfriend started trying to guide me toward having sex with him, especially when my landlord wasn't there."
"I just went to bed every time he did it, didn't say anything, found another apartment, gave 1 month's notice, and moved out suddenly without warning 3 days later. I do not f*** around with that sh**."
-- Sapphire_Sorceress
A Private Victory
"When I was about 6 or 7, my mum and I got into a fight (I think I just wasn't getting enough attention), I was so upset I packed a bag and left."
"I only made it about 2 blocks, hung out at another apartment complex for a few hours, then thought better of it and came home. No one noticed 🙄"
-- brooke_157
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
