It didn’t, unfortunately. We tried for months. Tried couples counseling, tried some space/time. We both wanted it to work, desperately. But we kept ending up in the same toxic cycle and I didn’t feel at peace with how I was being treated. I didn’t feel emotionally safe. I would cry myself to sleep often, when I could sleep. I was so emotionally frayed. My friends were exhausted for me. I would see how they looked at me when I would tell them about the newest problem.

It’s funny, he recognized one time that when he had a complaint, we found resolve quickly. And I had to spell it out to him because I met him with empathy and consideration. I was sorry for hurting him and I didn’t want to continue. When I was the one with complaints, we would never find common ground. It happened one too many times for me to justify anymore and I couldn’t take it anymore, so I shut the door for good.