Emotional abuse is difficult to recognize. I want women, through my stories, to be able to see the secret bruising and scars that touch our souls, but not our bodies. This is my story, but it represents millions. It is an account of how I recognized the signs of emotional abuse and the damage that was happening to me. My life began with my emotionally unstable and abusive mother holding tight to an umbilical cord leash using fear, "don't do that, you might die and then I would have to kill myself". Screaming, crying and unpredictability were her weapons. Early in life, I found protection with a metaphorical glass dome which I was able to use at will. It allowed me to see and hear, but I didn't have to experience the feelings of abuse. With my glass dome in place, I innocently walked into marriage with an emotionally abusive man. He stated that he had me on a leash. But for years, unbeknownst to him, I was snipping the threads until the leash was severed. Then in just one moment of complete understanding, I was able to break free to live a life of my own design.