Mind Games

Being manipulated is strange. Most of the time, you don’t even know that it’s happening; on the rare occasions that you do manage to get a hint, you feel like you deserve it. You see, manipulators have this way of making you think that you’re the one who is in control— that everything was a choice that you came up with on your own, but the truth is that they have snuck their way into your heart and mind, and now, none of your thoughts are your own.

You don’t realize you’ve lost yourself until it’s too late— you can’t even remember who you were to begin with. It is in this weakened state that you are beaten into submission— convinced that you deserve the bruises and harsh words, and that somehow, it’s all coming from love. He tells you that it’s coming from a righteous place, and it’s always to “help” you in the long-run. He calls it “tough love,” but he doesn’t even know what love is— and now, neither do you.