The Hidden Tax Bill
Abuse has a cost — and the price is paid in silence, confusion, and self-betrayal. Most survivors don’t realize it until much later: the “relationship” was never free. Every moment you spent questioning yourself, every argument you tried to smooth over, every sigh you swallowed to keep the peace… those were emotional taxes you paid to keep someone else comfortable. You weren’t just worn out — you were billed for your own suffering.
The confidence tax.
The peace tax.
The identity tax.
The attention tax.
They drained you piece by piece, not by accident but by design. Because a person who is depleted is easier to control. A person paying hidden fees doesn’t notice the theft happening right in front of them.
But the moment you recognize the pattern, everything shifts. You stop seeing your exhaustion as a weakness and start recognizing it as the evidence of what you survived. The tax was real — but it wasn’t your fault. The confusion wasn’t your failure; it was the weapon they relied on.
Today is about pulling the invoice out of the shadows and naming what was taken from you. Because once you can see it clearly, you can finally start taking it back.
Stay powerful.
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