He Mistook My Pain for Love

I grew up starved for affection.

So when I fell for a boyfriend with an almost pathological need to control me, I did what any perfectly normal, emotionally deprived woman might do.

I acted scared. I resisted. I trembled and protested.

And secretly, I was thrilled.

He demanded to know my whereabouts every waking moment. Checking my phone was part of our daily routine. Deleting people from my contacts was practically a hobby.

Everyone else thought his behavior was suffocating.

Me? I thought it was sweet.

But lately, something had changed.