Giulia Tofana lived in 17th-century Italy, a time when women trapped in brutal abusive marriages had no legal way out and few places to run. Quietly, she offered them an option: a small, nearly undetectable vial of poison called Aqua Tofana. It was a clear, tasteless liquid that could be slipped into a husband’s wine or soup over several doses, appearing like a sudden illness rather than a murder. Giulia didn’t act alone; she worked with her daughter and a network of trusted women to distribute Aqua Tofana to wives desperate to escape violent men. They operated under the cover of selling cosmetics and beauty powders, moving discreetly through cities like Rome and Naples, handing freedom to women who had no other means of claiming it. The poison became infamous for its effectiveness and subtlety, and it is said that Giulia helped over 600 women escape their marriages this way. Eventually, Giulia was caught and executed, but her legacy survived in the stories of the women she helped save from terrifying abusive marriages.