This is a tough one to read. I think there is a very real tension in these types of relationship. We are abused, yet in our minds we live in the old days. We live in the moments where our lover was "winning" us with kindness and real love. When they switch the cognitive dissonance is devastating. We can't hold two sides of someone in our mind. So we stay, unhappy, and influenced by not just the kind memory but by outsiders like the mother.
That is so true.. it is a cognitive dissonance. Domestic violence is a kind of trauma too and one reaction is to stay with what one knows. I also see this character as having no other choice in the world she lives in. It IS tough to read about abuse and it's not what I'd normally write.. but the original poem begged me to give her some kind of voice. I really appreciate your comment alot 💚💚