A conversation about obsession, control, and what comes after humiliation

Photo by Anna Shevchuk on Pexels .

I had a conversation with my cousin last week that has stayed with me ever since. I met her last year, and just by looking at her, I could tell that she had hit a rough patch. She is a few years younger than me, still in her late 20s, which is a time to look really youthful, but she had lost so much weight, she had worry lines all over her face, and even her hair had turned prematurely gray.

I was shocked and instantly worried to see her, and when I prodded, she told me about this nerve-wracking relationship that she has been in, on and off, for the past several months. We talked for hours.

She cried a great deal, and before we parted, she promised she would leave him and try to reclaim her life.…