I think the author is trying to show how easy it is to fall into a controlling, toxic, and abusive relationship but the execution isn't great. It feels very fast and very forced.
In real life, your partner doesn't just suddenly tell you one day that they're going to start abusing you and the abuse doesn't go from one to a hundred overnight. It's a insidious and gradual pushing of your boundaries. You are the frog in a pot and the water slowly starts to boil without you noticing it. No one ever chooses to be abused.
This sudden onset and deliberate choice by the MC to stay even though he realizes he's being abused feels fake. It feels stupid. You read it and instead of going "omg poor thing" you think "no one would deliberately choose this".
I think the author is trying to show how easy it is to fall into a controlling, toxic, and abusive relationship but the execution isn't great. It feels very fast and very forced.
In real life, your partner doesn't just suddenly tell you one day that they're going to start abusing you and the abuse doesn't go from one to a hundred overnight. It's a insidious and gradual pushing of your boundaries. You are the frog in a pot and the water slowly starts to boil without you noticing it. No one ever chooses to be abused.
This sudden onset and deliberate choice by the MC to stay even though he realizes he's being abused feels fake. It feels stupid. You read it and instead of going "omg poor thing" you think "no one would deliberately choose this".