Glad to hear he has been treating you better. I, too, hope it will last. When people are mad they don't always say what they really think but sometimes things that hurt instead. I don't know why. It pushes the hurt person away from them that's for sure. He may regret what he says later, as you indicated. I would tell him something like when he gets mad he needs to slow down and even walk away instead if he is going to say something hurtful. He may have witnessed abuse of this kind or was abused that way himself. If he cannot seem to stop talking to you abusively, he needs to get some help to stop. Assertiveness training can help him to express feelings and ideas to you instead of mean things. If he gets really angry a lot he may also need anger management techniques. If he has an interest in changing, that's a positive step. If I meet a guy who displays lots of anger and says cruel things to me, I have to protect myself as I come before him. You sound like you have a good grip on the situation with standing up to him and telling him not to treat you wrongly. Another thing I might do when someone talks to me abusively is to leave that environment for awhile. If it continues more and more I stay away. I know there are others (I'm still looking for a good guy!) who will treat me well like I deserve. I hope he keeps treating you right like you deserve.

<font color=red>HAPPY</font color=red> <font color=green>HOLIDAYS!</font color=green>