During the Armenian Genocide, women and girls married Muslim men in order to ensure their survival. When these women were later given the opportunity to leave and rejoin the Armenian community, some chose to stay behind. In many instances, culturally defined notions of shame prevented women from leaving their Muslim husbands. Those who had married Muslim men had transgressed notions about women’s honor and purity, and therefore, these women would face rejection if they attempted to return to the Armenian community. They recognized that their children would be viewed as “bastards” (Macklin, 2004) by members of their community. Using Armenian Genocide survivor testimonies, this paper will interrogate the dilemmas faced by two women who were given the opportunity to leave and rejoin the Armenian community. Both women had children fathered by Turkish men. One woman made the decision to leave her Turkish “husband,” take her children, and return to her family. She reclaimed her agency and her right to re-define her destiny and that of her children. She chose to build a life for herself in her own community. The other woman chose to remain with her Turkish “husband.” She believed that the possibility of rejoining her community and living her life in the culture in which she was born and raised was foreclosed. Since she had become a Muslim wife, her purity and honor had been tarnished. She had internalized patriarchal notions of shame, and believed that she was dishonorable for having married a Turk.