Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he threatened to break up with you because you didn’t pay enough attention to him while you were at a parent’s funeral.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but every time he eats something you made, he complains about “your shitty food”.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he always compares you to other women, including ex-lovers, to make you feel inadequate and like he’s settling for you.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but when you express dissatisfaction, “You’re just like [insert ex’s name]” or, you’re selfish and only care about yourself.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but when you won’t help him financially, you’re selfish and disloyal.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but when you follow up on something he committed to doing, you’re nagging and insensitive to his problems.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but when you want him to take accountability, everything is your fault. You’re the reason why X, Y, and Z.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but when you offer help, it’s expected that you will do it every time, and saying “no” is breaking a promise.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he makes constant digs at your weight, the appearance of your skin, or how you’re not doing enough to live up to his standards.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but when your health problems impact your relationship, you’re blamed for however it affects him. He doesn’t care if you are sick or in pain.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he belittles your mental illness and makes you feel terrible about things you cannot control.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he tells you that you’re crazy or oversensitive when you respond to something he did to upset you.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you’re embarrassed to tell your friends the things that he’s said to you, because you know you’ll be judged and asked, “Why don’t you just leave?”

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but when you try to tell him how you feel, you’re made to feel that your feelings are invalid.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he makes you feel guilty for still being affected by past trauma.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he makes you feel like you’ve been “chosen” by him, and tells you that anyone else who did what you did would be “long gone”.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he complains that your friends are “too opinionated” because they don’t blindly agree with him.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he says “If I had known you were so __________, I would’ve left a long time ago.”

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he calls you lazy for relaxing on the weekend, even though you work full time and he’s unemployed.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but for the little bit of time that he actually has a job, he makes sure to remind you daily that he’s making more than you now.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he lies with such conviction that you doubt your own perception when you find out the truth.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he undermines your problems to tell you about how he’s had it worse.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but when you confront him about the way he speaks to you, he says “at least I tell you you’re beautiful.”

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he immediately accuses you of cheating any time you miss his call, don’t want him to see what you’re texting, or aren’t interested in sex.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he threatens your financial security, repeatedly.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you’ve wanted to leave for months, you’re just afraid of what he’ll do if you try.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but when you try to leave, he manipulates your love for his family to convince you to stay.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he tells more lies than truths, and gets defensive when you don’t trust him.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you can’t watch your favorite shows or listen to your favorite music without being insulted and degraded.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you question everything you do, and mold your actions to anticipate his reaction.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you stop seeing friends and family because he monopolizes your time, and you won’t bring him around them because you feel badly for the way he talks to people you care about.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you feel like you have to constantly prove that you’re worthy of him.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he throws a fit when you go out with your friends because you didn’t think about how that would make him feel.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you avoid saying or doing certain things because you don’t want to deal with his reaction.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he speaks terribly about his exes, and you don’t question it because everybody is allowed to have a messy past. However, you learn he doesn’t ever want you to communicate with them, lest you find out he shows this pattern of behavior in every relationship.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you know your friends and family know something is wrong, but you’ll never talk to them about it. You’re ashamed that you fell for his manipulation.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he presents himself to the world as a caring, moral, and generous person, but you know otherwise.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but he purposefully fails to communicate and resolve issues because having that power over you is entertaining to him.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you begin self-sabotaging in hopes that he stops paying attention to you, because his attention is usually negative.

Maybe he doesn’t hit you, but you shame yourself for allowing him to treat you this way.