about the service at the hotel and went ballistic when I accidentally got
us on the wrong metro line. That was a white-light moment for me.
When Craig started swearing at me, I realized that I was powerless to
change him. When we finally got home and my family asked me about
the honeymoon, I didn’t have the courage to tell them it was a disaster.
I said, “It was nice,” in a pathetically feeble tone. What a miserable way
to describe one’s honeymoon.
Though I felt trapped, I still couldn’t extract myself from the nightmare.
Time after time when I mustered the courage to leave, Craig would
convince me to stay. I began to fantasize that he would fall in love with
someone else and leave, because I was afraid I’d never have the
strength to leave him first. Luckily Craig found the strength. When I told
him I wanted a divorce, for the umpteenth time, he again begged me to
stay, but this time he promised that if I ever asked again, he wouldn’t
talk me out of it. I’m grateful that he kept his word. The next time things
got unbearable, I told him I wanted out, and he said, “Okay!” We’d
signed a contract to buy an apartment together and lost $10,000 for
pulling out of the deal, but looking back, it was the best money I ever
spent.
The divorce was relatively quick and easy. We stayed in touch
afterward. Once I wasn’t tied to him any longer, it was actually fun
spending time with him—in small doses. He was interesting,
affectionate, and charming. When he became hurtful, I would just get
up and leave.
Fortunately, Marsha went on to meet someone with whom she has a
happy life. While with her new partner, she was able to change her job
to one more rewarding and to develop a new hobby. She’s never
again experienced the emotional turmoil that she felt with Craig.