“If someone turns cruel the minute you stop giving them what they want… that wasn’t love. That was control.”

What if breakups weren’t the end of the story… but the beginning of truth?

In this raw, unflinching, and darkly poetic memoir, writer and Buddhist practitioner Anton Volney invites you behind the curtain of modern love—where the real drama begins after the breakup. Through a series of devastating, hilarious, and soul-piercing reflections, Anton reveals a side of heartbreak few dare to talk about: how the masks people wear fall off the minute they lose control.

This isn’t a book about moving on. It’s about waking up.

From courtroom betrayals and false restraining orders to spiritual breakthroughs in silent Zen retreats, Permission to Be Powerful is part diary, part spiritual manual, and part psychological exposé. Anton dissects the emotional games we play, the traumas we carry, and the inner children who quietly run the show.

If you've ever asked yourself:

• Why do they turn on me after I stop giving in?

• Was it ever really love?

• What does my reaction say about me?

This book is your mirror.

You’ll discover:

• The secret law therapists know about breakups that most people never learn.

• How your “inner child” controls your dating life (until you make peace with him).

• Why emotionally abusive relationships often feel the most intoxicating—and what that says about your wounds.

• How to stop debasing yourself in business and love—and finally attract people who respect you.

Brutally honest and piercingly insightful, Permission to Be Powerful is for anyone ready to stop asking for permission—to love, to leave, to shine, or to be themselves.

Warning: This book might piss off your ex. But it will set you free.