Abusive Relationships Can Happen at Any Age
Climbing out of the hole of self-blame
Trigger Warning: this article discusses violence and abuse in relationships that may not be suitable for all readers. Fearless community, please read with care.
As I walked across the living room to brew coffee in the kitchen one morning, I noticed bits of paper littering the floor like confetti. Puzzled, I bent down to pick them up and recognized the pieces — photos of me, ripped to shreds. An icy feeling gripped me, but I had no time to process it. The front door banged open and my boyfriend marched in, his face contorted, eyes bulging.
I knew the look.
James was in one of his terrifying rages that I had dreaded since experiencing the first one about a year and a half earlier, soon after we started dating.
As he towered his six-foot frame over me, I shrank back, steeling myself. Was he going to grab my arm and throw me across the room again? Or would it be a tirade of threats and epithets, which he’d spewed at me numerous times?
He jabbed a forefinger in my face. “You’re poisoning my pills! I’m taking them to my cop friend and having them tested!”
I was stunned with the absurdity of it, then I felt the crash of realization. James was insane — and…
