The perpetrator has threatened to kill her if she leaves or if she tells and she knows no safe haven from him. There is no federal witness protection program for domestic assault victims. Her fear is real, the threat is real, the pathway to freedom cannot be found. For some the shame is crushing. To heal in private, behind dark glasses, behind closed blinds is far better than to be seen by others.
Physical pain is more bearable than shame.
The shame is deeper than embarrassment. It is mortification, humiliation, dehumanization. Shame depends on the eyes of others. Avoid the eyes, avoid the shame. Some harbor hope for better times.