"Please don't. I'm requesting you," I stated, my voice carrying a stern resolve that I had never felt before. I had reached a turning point—a moment when I refused to be ensnared by his lies and manipulation once again.
Paul, for a change, responded with an unusual promise, "No, not this time. I promise I will treat you with care."
But I had heard such promises before, and I knew better than to put my trust in empty words. "Why don't you listen to me?" I spoke in a calm tone, attempting to reach whatever shred of humanity remained within him.
He placed his hand on my cheek, his touch unsettlingly possessive, and remarked, "It's usual between a girlfriend and a boyfriend." It was a twisted justification for his actions, an attempt to normalize the horrors he subjected me to.
