“I never should have trusted you”

I said quietly, barely more than a whisper. I was never the kind of person to raise my voice when I was angry, but I could feel something shift that day. I knew he wouldn’t fight fair, so why should I?

His face was red and his eyes, which used to scare me, looked afraid themselves. Fear, it seemed, of the man to which they belonged.

“You would be nothing without me, and you know it.”

He said it with a certainty and decisiveness that almost made me believe him myself. Almost.

When I thought of all the times I’d felt anger, it had would reach what I thought was the maximum capacity, and the tears would fall. But what happened next was something I didn’t know I was capable of until now. The anger I felt surpassed anything I’d felt before, and it felt as though all logic and reason had evaporated from my mind and all that was left was a ruthless fighter with her life on the line. What happened next was something I could barely remember, nevermind recite. But I know that every single lie, argument, and punch I’d taken from him up until this point returned to my body as I fought back. Screaming as loud as I could, I told him everything I had wanted to say for the last ten years. I could tell by his response that he felt something, finally, after all these years. He stepped back, and he was quiet. I had never seen him like this, and for the first time I felt strong. Like nobody could hurt me again. The only thing I remember clearly were the last words I ever said to him.

“Pack your bags and leave. I don’t ever want to see you again”