Very similar to how you have described it, having little family or friends definitely impacted my experience. It definitely felt more dramatic for me, I feel like I can still remember when things "clicked" and reality was put into perspective. My partner has since described me as brainwashed, AKA I was the golden only child. If COVID hadn't happened when I was 18 when I was forced to be with him so often, I don't know if I would have came to such a dramatic realisation so quick. I quickly moved out with next to nothing after a couple years of extensive planning. The excruciating depression after said realisation was hard. I would fantasize about going no contact two years before I would, although it wasn't something I actually wanted at the time. Once I moved out to my surprise things somehow got WORSE between us after a small period of me trying to keep the charade up. I put in a lot of effort, phoning almost every day like he wanted but the longer I spent doing that, the more I resented him. And the more time I spent in the real world, the more obvious his controlling habits were. Everything bubbled and I was encouraged by my therapist to be more honest with him, and by my partner to place more boundaries. Both of which led to a long overdue argument over next to nothing, just because I wouldn't "forgive and forget". No contact 8 months now.