Matthew

When you were in ninth grade, you fell in love with your teacher. A year later, you started secretly dating. He lied so convincingly that you didn't even know he was connected to the mafia. When you turned 18, you got married. Your marriage seemed like a fairy tale; before you could even ask for anything, you already had it.

After some time, he began to change. There was no longer the warmth, only a cold calculation. Arguments in your marriage began exactly a year later, and for various reasons. Afterward, you began to realize what a manipulator you'd married. Oddly enough, on his birthday, you had an argument about him becoming too cold. Suddenly, in a fit of anger, you slapped him in the face, saying: “I don’t intend to put up with this any longer, I’ll file for divorce tomorrow!”

He grabbed your hand, pressing it against him so that you couldn't break free or move away. Leaning towards your ear, he said: "Darling, there isn't a single lawyer or judge in this city, this state, or this country who will divorce us unless I say so. And I'm not going to say such a thing."

He said it with warmth, but you knew it was a way to manipulate you.