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Telling you lies like you can’t leave. What that translates to is I can’t let you leave I need you.

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Abuse is when they get pissed off at you, say something unacceptable, and then claim it’s your fault.

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I wish it wasn’t pain that had to shape you into someone so beautiful. But sometimes that’s how it works. Sometimes the most beautiful people are the ones who have seen a lot of ugly things.

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The reason I never disclosed the truth about what was going on in my relationship was because I was not only afraid of my friends’ judgements, but I was afraid of my own judgements.

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I’ll never forget the words you said to me. “What happened to you, you used to love me.”

I began to choose myself. That’s what happened to me.

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My list of excuses was impressive, and used often. The excuses ranged from ‘he suffers from severe anxiety to ‘this is his first relationship so he doesn’t really know how it works.’

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Imagine being told repeatedly that you’re the reason you can’t be with the person you love, by the person you love, and yet they won’t leave you alone, no matter how much you beg them to.

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You don’t have to justify to anyone the reasons you didn’t leave right away.

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The most shameful part of this relationship, for me, is how I begun to crave him and the tumult he brought into my life. I was broken down to the point that I took blame for everything.

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“Never sacrifice your own personal growth at the expense of waiting for someone else to change.”