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2. Living Inside A Carefully Built Cage

People often imagine abusive marriages as constant screaming and violence.

The truth is usually more complicated.

The worst years of my marriage were not the nights Brandon threw things across the room.

The worst years were the mornings afterward.

He would wake up cheerful and relaxed, asking whether I wanted coffee.

He would kiss my forehead.

He would tell me that I was too emotional.

Too sensitive.

Too dramatic.

Eventually I stopped trusting my own memory.