At first, it felt like the kind of love I had always dreamed of. He wanted to spend every second with me, texting me constantly, calling me whenever we were apart. “I just love you so much,” he’d say. But love slowly turned into something else.

Soon, he didn’t want me seeing my friends. Then, he got upset when I talked to my family for too long. When I started distancing myself from others, it felt normal—he convinced me that this was what love looked like: just us against the world.

I didn’t realize how trapped I was until I looked around and saw no one left in my life but him. It took all the strength I had to leave. Rebuilding those relationships was hard, but I’ve learned something I will never forget: Love doesn’t isolate—it encourages growth. If someone wants you all to themselves, it’s not love. It’s control.

                                    -  Joselyn