"I feel like people could just say, 'Thanks for the lovely evening,' instead. It’s almost like mental abuse in a sense to keep doing that to someone."| masslive
"I always tell people I don’t like alcohol because of everything I’ve been through, hoping they’ll take that as a boundary. But many still unload their drinking-related trauma on me."| masslive
"I felt humiliated for thinking, even for a moment, that this (promise ring) was the engagement I’ve longed for. I hope I responded with grace, but inside, I was deeply hurt."| masslive
"As he has gotten older, he has become moodier, less approachable and more aggressive. I can see how his unresolved childhood pain has shaped him, and I want to have compassion, but it is hard."| masslive