Not All Prisons Have Walls
Some are built from apologies, promises, and fleeting moments of peace.
This piece discusses the cycle of abuse, including emotional manipulation and control.
If you are currently in a difficult or unsafe situation, please take care while reading.
Love, then anger.
Peace, then chaos.
A moment of tenderness.
Followed by a storm.
It’s a cycle.
A pattern designed to keep you trapped.
The calm after the storm.
The apology.
The gift.
The promise to change.
It feels real.
You want to believe it.
But then, without warning, the tension builds again.
The anger rises.
The abuse returns.
You tread carefully, trying to keep the peace.
But no matter how hard you try, the eruption comes.
Shouting, threats, manipulation.
Or worse.
Then, just as quickly, the softness returns.
They’re sorry.
They didn’t mean it.
They love you.
And so the cycle repeats.
This isn’t love.
This is control.
It’s a game of power.
A pattern of manipulation.
The moments of peace are long enough to keep you hoping.
Just enough to keep you holding on.
You feel exhausted.
Confused.
Stuck.
You start questioning yourself.
Maybe if you try harder, the love will stay.
But this isn’t your fault.
And it isn’t love.
The moment you recognise the pattern, you begin to loosen its grip.
Start by naming it.
The calm, the tension, the explosion, the apology.
Write it down.
See it for what it is.
The peace isn’t real; it’s part of the cycle.
A way to keep you holding onto hope.
You are worthy of peace that lasts.
Not just fleeting moments between storms.
Recognising the cycle is the first act of resistance.
And the first step toward freedom.
