February 14, 2013. That was the day I knew Vincent was incapable of love or empathy and was truly evil. In January of that year I found out I was pregnant for the first time. I was excited. I know now that my desire to have a child was an attempt to find love…because I knew that Vincent didn’t love me. You don’t treat people you love the way he treated me. But, at the time, I wasn’t as educated on the topic of narcissists and empaths and codependents and the dynamics that led me into an abusive relationship in the first place. And I was happy to start a…

Red flags are easy to spot in hindsight. Now I can see all of the characteristics in Vincent that should have sent me running in the other direction: He was very angry and seemed to be proud of his Sicilian temper. His email address was “shortfuse”. He was very controlling and obsessive and needed everything to be done his way. He would get upset if I asked too many questions about his past, like he was hiding something. He would break my things or throw them away if I didn’t put them away and then lie and say he didn’t to make me think I was crazy and just lost…