You grew up believing that everything must be a dialogue. To you, a healthy relationship means equal say in big choices and small logistics. If your partner decides something without running it by you first, it doesn't feel like protection — it feels like you’ve been sidelined.

We started in person, and in the beginning, we could barely hear each other. Most sessions devolved into trading blame and grievances—until our therapist helped us see what was actually driving that dynamic, where our vicious cycle came from, and what we really wanted from each other.