I married a cult leader at 18. I tried escaping 10 different times, but the system made it nearly impossible.

A recent photo of Decker with her newborn.

Courtesy of Briell Decker.

• Briell Decker grew up in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
• When she was 18, she married the FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. She was his 65th wife.
• Decker escaped after multiple attempts in 2012. She now helps other survivors rebuild their lives.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Briell Decker, 40, a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...