The Digital Shadows: Love, Lies, and Longing (Part 6)

 The Toxic Love That Turned Her Life Upside Down

Jacee tried so hard to forget that nightmare. No matter how much she wished it would fade, it lingered like a shadow over her heart. But things only got worse. Aaric’s words, once hurtful, now became uncontrollable. It was the middle of a pandemic, and though they managed to keep their relationship going by meeting secretly at her house, the pressure on her kept building. Her parents had been severely affected by the virus—first her mom was hospitalized, then her dad. She was left with her grandmother, juggling her semester exams and the worry of her parents’ health. And on top of it all, Aaric’s mental torture was relentless.

Despite everything she was going through, Aaric continued to fight with her. What started as insults directed at her soon escalated into vicious attacks on her family—her mother, sister, even her grandmother. It cut her deeply, especially since her mom was in the hospital. His cruel words crushed her spirit. She started to think what mistake her family has done to get this kind of words from him. Her family doesn’t even know him. In one of their fights, Aaric sent a chilling text: “I’m going to die.” Terrified, she called his mother and explained the situation, hoping for some understanding. But Aaric’s mother just laughed, brushing it off as another of his "anger issues." She told Jacee that Aaric was just a small boy who would change with age, asking her to "adjust" and bear it.

That conversation flipped a switch in Jacee. She realized that Aaric’s behavior had a lot to do with the fact that his parents never disciplined him. It became clear that she needed to stop tolerating his abuse. From that moment on, Jacee decided that if Aaric could insult her and her family, she would do the same to him. When he slut-shamed her, she slut-shamed his mother. Aaric didn’t take it well. He tried to control her, warning her never to speak badly about his family, but she stood her ground. “If you insult me and my family, I will do the same,” she told him firmly. The fights between them escalated.

A few days later, Aaric’s mother called again, telling Jacee that her son had been raised as a gentleman and advising her to obey his wishes, including not wearing short dresses. Jacee had no energy to argue and simply replied with, “Hmm, hmm.” She continued to focus on her studies, preparing to take a German language course alongside her academics, which her mother encouraged. When Jacee told Aaric about her plans, he wasn’t supportive. Instead, he started another argument, but this time, she didn’t care.

As the pandemic began to ease, Jacee prepared to return to college. They planned to meet one last time before she left to the college. She lied to her parents, saying college was starting two days earlier than it really was, so she could spend time with Aaric. The first day together was smooth—they had some drinks, danced, sang around a campfire, and it felt almost like things were okay. But later that night, Aaric received a call from his family. His brother had hit their mother during an argument, and his relatives kept calling him, asking him to come home. Though it was supposed to be a happy evening, the tension was already building.

The next day, the worst was yet to come. Aaric faced Jacee, his voice trembling with anger as he demanded an explanation for her disrespectful comments about his mother on their phone arguments. “Say it to my face now,” he growled, his eyes blazing with fury. Jacee tried to reason with him, explaining that he had insulted her family first. She had only fought back. But Aaric’s anger boiled over. He insisted that even if he hadn’t mentioned her family’s names, she had no right to speak about his mother. “You slut-shamed me, so I slut-shamed your mom,” she retorted. “If you stop, I’ll stop.”

The argument heated quickly. Aaric raised his hand to slap her but stopped himself at the last moment. Jacee stood her ground, her voice shaking with anger and defiance. “Who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to control me? You’re nothing but a toxic person.” Those words broke something inside Aaric. He snapped.

“Who am I? Who am I to you?” he yelled before slapping her across the face. This time, Jacee didn’t back down. She slapped him back and even punched him in the head. Furious, Aaric shoved her against the wall, choking her, but she fought back with everything she had, grabbing his hair and trying to push him away. In a rage, Aaric pushed her to the ground, sat on her chest, and began beating her, screaming, “You said you wouldn’t go abroad, so why are you preparing for Germany?” His fists came down over and over. Jacee lost the strength to fight. She tried to push him away, her hand unknowingly grabbing onto his gold chain, which snapped as she struggled. In retaliation, Aaric grabbed her bracelet and tore it apart, taking her ring and threatening to flush it down the toilet.

She noticed a bunch of her hair on the cot because he had pulled it during the fight. She didn't cry she stood for herself bravely. Later she got collapsed and can't even stand and sit. So, she started to beg him to leave her alone.

Dazed and barely conscious, Jacee stumbled out of the room and collapsed on the sofa, her clothes torn, her face red and swollen from the blows. She felt nauseous and dizzy but couldn’t help feeling a small sense of victory. This time, she had fought back. She had stood up for herself. But the toll was heavy. She vomited from the pain and exhaustion; her body barely able to move. Aaric, as if nothing had happened, started acting like he cared, bringing her food and chocolates, but she couldn’t even keep them down. She was too weak to eat.

They stayed one more night together, though Jacee continued to vomit and couldn’t keep anything in her system. The next morning, they headed back to their homes. As they rode on the bike, Aaric started another argument, this time about her family, bringing up her grandfather and uncle, comparing their actions to his. Despite being sick and exhausted, Jacee could barely take in his words. She just wanted to be free from it all. 

Jacee was finally on her way to meet her college friends after two long years. Deep inside, however, her body ached from the violence of her last encounter with Aaric, and her mental health was a mess. She resolved to avoid him for a while, focusing on her studies—she had a staggering 11 subjects that semester. Yet, Aaric began to suspect her, accusing her of finding a new boyfriend at college.

Jacee was an introvert, plagued by social anxiety. She barely spoke to anyone, especially men. Aaric, however, constantly interrogated her, asking whether anyone had spoken to her. If she said no, he'd accuse her of lying; if she said yes, even if it was just for a pen, he'd slut-shame her. She was confused and exhausted, but with her friends around, she tried not to dwell on it. She enjoyed her college life, while Aaric believed she was cheating.

One day, Jacee received a call from her old male friend whom she had stopped speaking to, under Aaric’s insistence. It was an innocent, two-minute conversation, but she didn’t tell Aaric. She already had too much on her plate. Often nauseous, she cried inside, but outwardly, she maintained a happy facade with her friends.

Despite the ongoing fights and miscommunications, Aaric’s behavior only worsened. In one particularly heated argument, Jacee mocked him, asking if he wanted to cry again. Furious, he called his elder brother and, in the most degrading way, told him that Jacee had "big breasts" and invited him to "have sex with her," even suggesting that they both could have sex with her mother. Jacee was devastated and wept silently, unable to comprehend how her boyfriend could degrade her in such a vile way to his own brother.

On the same day, Jacee contacted one of Aaric’s old Instagram friends, trying to learn more about his past. She discovered from this girl that Aaric had forced her to love him and had a history of pursuing many girls. Jacee kept this information to herself. But when she later mentioned to Aaric that she had spoken to Jennifer, he exploded, accusing her of spreading false allegations.

Days passed, filled with arguments, accusations, and escalating fights. One night, Aaric called Jacee over 130 times, blowing up her phone while she was trying to sleep. The continuous cycle of abuse and miscommunication was turning Jacee into a stone-hearted, emotionless person. She had slowly become someone unrecognizable from her former self.

Finally, vacation time arrived, and Jacee was heading home. Aaric demanded she get off the bus at his hometown, which was on the way. She didn’t want to, but his threats of causing problems at her home forced her to comply. The first part of their trip was smooth, but then Aaric started interrogating her again, asking if she had a new boyfriend. Jacee explained the ongoing issues between them were why she had distanced herself.

Aaric took her phone and began unfollowing all her male and some female followers on Instagram, forcing her to give him her password while refusing to share his own. He backed up her phone and checked her chat history, discovering old photos from a group outing with her friends. Even though he knew about it, he exploded in anger.

The entire time, Jacee was afraid of him finding out about her first love from school, which she had hidden due to his uncontrollable anger. Finally, he dropped her at her hometown, and he went back to his hometown. Then Aaric called one of her old friends, seeking information. During the call, the friend unknowingly mentioned her first love, Aron. Aaric immediately confronted her, and Jacee tearfully admitted the truth, leading to a massive fight. She didn’t turn her phone on for two days, and Aaric bombarded her with insults.

Though the fault seemed to lie with her for hiding her past, she couldn’t bear losing Aaric. She begged him to stay, reminding him that her school love was a thing of the past, and she had been faithful. But her pleas fell on deaf ears, and, in desperation, she resorted to sending private videos to calm him down, a tactic she felt ashamed of, knowing it was wrong. Yet, she had learned that this was the only way to placate Aaric after he had done the same thing following a previous birthday fight.

From that point on, whenever they argued, Aaric would bring up her past with Aron to silence her. Despite trying to rebuild her emotional strength, Jacee slowly reverted to her weaker self, crying more frequently and feeling crushed by the weight of guilt and sorrow.

Returning to college after the vacation, Jacee was a shell of herself—burdened by guilt, heartbreak, and a sense of helplessness.

Moral:

"Love should never come with violence or cruelty. No one has the right to manipulate or control another person in the name of love. Respect, trust, and compassion are the pillars of a healthy relationship, and once those are broken, it’s often impossible to rebuild. Don’t let guilt or fear keep you in a toxic relationship—stand up for yourself and know when to walk away".