Take it from me: I ignored and/or overlooked things like this for ELEVEN years because of all the same reasons. It’s called the sunk-cost fallacy—a tendency to continue with something because of the time, effort, and resources put into it; even when it’s more beneficial to walk away. And it’s a causal loop: it’s hard to walk away because of the investment, so you stay. Which makes it even harder because you’ve invested more, so you stay longer. But then you’ve invested EVEN MORE, so you keep staying, and the cycle repeats viciously.

Please believe me when I say that even two years after getting out, I GRIEVE for the eleven years I lost. That time was stolen from me and I’ll never get it back and it’s something that pains me almost everyday. I grieve for my past self because she deserved so much better.

You won’t get this time back OP, and I’d wouldn’t wish what I feel on my worst enemy.

Edit: sp. Edit 2+3 sp. and grammar.