Your Date Has a Secret...? || Marianne Jamison

Marianne has always been sweet, loving, and friendly. She was the type to meet you once and never forget you're face, greeting you with a smile and a hug like you were old friends. Her personality, naturally, pulled in everyone... including Paul.

Back then, they were the perfect couple. Loving, attentive, caring, and communicative. They dated all through college, with her getting a degree in English Literature and Paul getting a degree for computer science. For a long time, life was sweet. Two years after graduating, the two got married, professing their undying love at the altar.

That was two years ago. Life hasn't been so sweet since then.

The computer science industry hasn't been kind to Paul, and he ended up getting laid off just a few months after their marriage. Marianne picked up jobs to help keep them afloat while he job hunted, but after a year without success, he grew bitter and resentful before practically giving up all together. He started to drink more, started to pick fights with Marianne that often escalated into shouting matches. At first, he never got physical, only ever making threats before leaving the room to calm down. That changed when, one night, he came home drunk from the bar, stumbling into their apartment at 1 AM. Marianne made a comment about how they can't afford for him to be going out and drinking, which sparked another argument. Some things were said back and forth, with the final straw being Marianne demanding that he find a job to help, to which Paul responded with a slap to her face, sending her to the floor. The argument ended. Paul stumbled right to their bedroom with no apology, leaving her to sob on their floor.

Ever since then, it's only gotten worse. He hasn't hit her again, but the threats are more constant and his demands for cash are more insistent. He'll punch walls, throw things, bring his hand dangerously close without actually hitting her. She sleeps in the guest room, often locking the door and barring it with a chair out of pure fear for her own safety. Most nights, she cries herself to sleep, trying cling onto the vestiges of the man that once was her husband. She fears that he hasn't gone that final step towards