I was in the same relationship for 18 years. Out of the 18 years that I was in that relationship, I was married for 9 of those years. The marriage was horrific and I finally found the courage to end it. I am not advocating for divorce but it was the best option for me. I was so broken that I never thought I would love again. I happened to stumble in love and I thought this was the perfect guy for me. After such a rocky marriage anyone would seem better than the husband I had, right? This guy said all the right things. He would tell me how beautiful I was, he would admire my intelligence and praise my ambition. He expressed that his only job was to make me feel like the prize that I was and that he would never hurt me. He exclaimed that he saw a future with me and could not imagine his life without me. He built me up and it was just what I needed at the time to feel good about myself.

As the relationship progressed, he began to express all the things that he didn’t like about me. It seemed like anything I did bothered him. He would misinterpret everything that I said to him. The things he admired about me ,when he first met me, now annoyed him. He thought I was too ambitious. He expressed I talked too much and should keep my opinions to myself. He started making unflattering comments about my weight and appearance. He made me feel small. He ended up being a totally different person than the one I originally met. He built me up and then he broke me. I wonder will I ever recover from being broken? With time and prayer I know I will.