"She seems nervous, like she’s always trying to keep the peace, and she doesn’t spend time with people she used to be close to."

It’s stayed with me -- the way emotional abuse often begins so subtly, with little comments that chip away at someone’s confidence, slowly isolating them from family and friends until they feel completely dependent and alone.

I worry my mom might be in a situation like that. She brushes things off — her boyfriend’s temper, his criticisms — but I see signs that remind me of what I saw back then. She seems nervous, like she’s always trying to keep the peace,