The Illusion Trap

I jerk and shake my head, covering my ears to block out those sounds.

If I don't look back...

If I don't listen, then those women...

They're not me.

I'm not them anymore.

I can just...keep going forward.

Away.

I stumble into something that won't move.

My first husband looks down at me, coldly.

"Delusional. Needy. Overbearing. Too fat. Talks too much. Complains about her feelings too much. Expects everything to be perfect and only wants to wallow in her own misery when it's not. Never puts in any effort. Pathetic loser."

He checks off a list of grievances, counting off on his fingers as he goes, tone bored, detached.

Viktor stands beside him and continues dispassionately. "Manipulative. Demanding. Selfish. Clingy. Ungrateful. Judgmental. Foul tempered. Ugly. Hypocrite. Possessive. Liar. Never cared about any feelings but her own. Stifling. Pushy."

They don't stop.

The list goes on.

And on.