Uh, well, I'd say you were very reasonable to infer that. Wow, that sounds awful. I'm so sorry you're going through that, Lizzee.

For what it's worth, the man who inspired this story used to "break up" with me (or at least threaten to break up with me) all the time - without ever actually going anywhere. His favorite thing to tell me was that he felt like maybe he needed a break. It was strictly a disciplinary/intimidation tactic, designed to make me feel guilty and therefore comply better with his preferences. I truly feel for anyone else who's going through something like this.

When I was going through the stress of that relationship, it was really helpful for me to be able to talk to a counselor (for a balanced outside perspective) and family/friends (because eventually these were the people who helped me design a safe strategy for distancing myself). I hope your life has good people in it who support you. They make all the difference!