Words Hit Harder Than Your Hand

If you look at her face, you will see no bruises. The only scars you will see are self or accident inflicted. She has no broken bones by his hand, but it doesn't change the face of abuse.

Do not be fooled; verbal abuse packs a powerful punch.  Only your psyche and your soul are bruised while you smile and pretend everything is fine.  One can only be called a stupid fucking moron so many times.  One can only be controlled for so long.  One starts to doubt themselves because if the one who promised to love her to death do us part tells he she is worthless - then she must be.  Why else would he say such cruel things to her?  Her mistake was perhaps trying to cater to his need in the beginning because that's what you do when you love someone.  She just really can't remember when he stopped catering to her.  When the nice gestures suddenly became make or break demands.  When  did he lose the capability of doing things on his own? 

He will tell her she isn't needed and make exaggerated gestures to show that he CAN do things on his own just to make her feel - well worthless.  She will then try harder to prove her worth and the pressure will make her crack.  She will walk in eggshells trying to try to stay on his good side. She won't.  The dishes might not get done because she worked all day and was tired and there will be hell to pay at 4 am when he goes to make coffee.  She might not be able to figure out what's for dinner & be berated because she made pan fried chicken again.  She will be called names, be belittled and cannot voice her opinion because he will come back and point out everything she has done wrong, failed to follow through on or flat out failed at & then tell he she deserved it.  She will never be right and he will never be wrong. 

She may even become physically abusive to him.  It is equally as wrong as she leaves marks, but sometimes it is the only defense mechanism she has. She could block a punch, but his words pierce her heart & all she can do is lash out with her fist.  She will hit him, scratch him, kick him and he will call her more names, tell her she is unstable and how the household is better off without her chaos.  He may make her sleep on a slide for a night to teach her a lesson, or sleep in the car until he wakes up & demands coffee.  She may leave him, but she will come back because the devil you know isn't nearly as scary as the devil you don't.

Again, she will bear no visible marks, but she will be proverbally bleeding out on the inside.  Nobody knows except maybe the neighbors who can hear everything, but act like there is nothing going on.  It's none of their business.  Then - when it is FINALLY over - everyone will say "Really, you two are divorcing?  You two seemed like such a good couple."  .