This post deals with abuse and might be triggering for some readers.
The author of this story is known to Mamamia but has chosen to remain anonymous for privacy reasons. The feature image used is a stock photo.
My now ex-husband was a wonderful man – 90 per cent of the time. It was how he behaved in the other 10 per cent that made him dangerous.
This was problematic for two reasons; firstly, it took me years to accept that the 10 per cent far outweighed the 90 per cent. I was a sucker for the good times, because I loved him.
And secondly, with things being difficult only a minor part of the time, even my closest friends and family did not know the extent of what was going on. They might witness bickering, but they never knew what happened when we were alone.
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The abuse was mostly verbal, and he was very manipulative. I knew that if I told anyone, I’d be accountable; I’d have to take action. I wasn’t ready to do that for years.