Update: I am feeling and experiencing my newfound FREEDOM, and it feels absolutely AMAZING!

No longer do I need to be held down in bed each morning, as he holds me & prevents me from getting up when I want to.

No longer do I need to cater to each of his physical ailments that bother him on any given day. It was always about HIM, how HE feels today, and what HE needs. I felt like I was living with an immobilized invalid, at the early age of 50 - I am far too young and healthy to be held back from doing all the things I want to do that involve physical activity. I was CAPTIVE to his ailments.

No longer do I need to leave a concert halfway through, as he always wanted. No longer do I need to forgo concerts/bands that I wish to see. He never would want to come with me to those bands that I liked - only when I begged him.

No longer do I need to wait for him to finish playing his stupid video game whenever we got into the car to go somewhere, or whenever we planned to eat. I always had to WAIT, patiently for him to finish. No longer do I need to feel neglected because my husband is buried in his phone constantly!

No longer does he rearrange my own belongings for me. I have an extensive crystal collection, some of which sits beside my bed on the bedside table. I would arrange them as I liked, yet he would rearrange them! ARGH.

No longer do I need to wait for him to decide what to eat for dinner - which often took him a half hour to decide! I swear, he did this on purpose to simply control the process. I would make at least 5 different suggestions, all of which he would turn down. It had to be up to HIM to decide what we were going to eat! Every single day.

No longer do I need to lend him money to cover himself since he would run out before his next paycheck! Then by doing so, it would set ME back financially, making things tighter for me every single month!

No longer do I need to remind him to go get his laundry from the basement! I played mother to him!

No longer do I need to clean up after him throughout the home - he would leave empty wrappers and milk glasses on his bedside table and within the drawers. I was constantly picking up after him - CONSTANTLY.

No longer do I need to be TOLD or ORDERED to pet the cats - I want to pet the cats when I wish to - not when he tells me to!

No longer do I need to cater to his every mood and whim.

And no longer do I need to keep myself quiet, walking on eggshells around him, afraid that I may set him off at any time over any innocent question I ask.

No longer do I need to listen to HIS stories of concerts past. That grew OLD FAST. All he has are concerts to talk about. My world narrowed because of him and I got squashed. All of my cool experiences of travel and adventure rarely were discussed or even acknowledged by him when I did bring them up. So, after a while, I would just stay quiet because I wasn't acknowledged.

So, I am in HEAVEN right now with my newfound FREEDOM from being under his thumb. I feel like a brand new me has come to life!!! I've missed this side of me - I've missed ME.

I feel GREAT! I am happy, I am far more at peace, and this is the most incredible feeling in the world right now. I am SO grateful. I am grateful that I finally listened to my own inner voice that told me to GET OUT and to GET OUT NOW before I got hurt again and before it got far worse. I am thankful that I am financially in a position to be able to afford my apartment on my own. I am thankful I am employed. I am thankful for everything I have, and for all the people who have supported me through this ordeal.

I can finally BREATHE. YAY.