Hi Cecilia

I’m sorry for all of the suffering you’ve experienced. My advice if you are not willing to leave immediately, is look for a new job. This will position you in a better place when you choose to leave.

It is the story of many people to repeat the cycle of abuse before they are able to escape it.

There are many abusive people out there and it is easy for someone to hide their abusive behaviour until you live with them for a sustained period of time. By this point, you already care about them and financial concerns make it difficult to leave.

The only way to protect yourself is to have very strict boundaries. If someone treats you badly and they do not make a considerable consistent effort to alter their behaviour and change end the relationship. A strong desire to be loved and poor self-esteem can make this very challenging. Good luck figuring everything out!