“I didn’t pay attention to the red flags and trusted him.

He asked for money so that he could fly and see me, so I sent it over.

I never heard from him again.”

Adults of varying ages sit in a classroom, attentively listening. They have notebooks and books open in front of them

Note: This post contains mentions of abuse.

“I made the mistake of going back to school.

I honestly should have planned it better before going back on a whim.”

A shirtless man and a woman with a tattoo on her arm are kissing while laying on a bed

“I stayed in a job much longer than I should have.

I always felt sick; I always dreaded work, and I worked with extremely toxic people.

After nine-and-a-half years, I received a nasty email from another employee and immediately started looking for another workplace.

Two people playing slot machines in a casino. One machine features a diamond graphic and the other has "Ten Times" written on it

I got the first job I saw and applied for!

It got more money, it was a totally different line of work, and I am so happy.

Even though you might be good at something, it doesn’t mean you should stay.”

A person in a bathrobe and towel gently kisses a child's forehead as they sit on a kitchen counter. The scene is calming, with a bonding moment between them

Anonymous

3.

“I had an affair.

I’ll regret that for the rest of my life, and I still hate myself for it.”

People exchanging U.S. dollar bills on a sofa

I ended up sad, lonely, and desperate, craving any human connection.

I started talking to this man who befriended me on Facebook, and we talked for weeks and weeks.

I didn’t pay attention to the red flags and trusted him.

A person with wavy hair is sitting on a bed, wearing a loose shirt, and looking at the camera. The room has a relaxed, cozy atmosphere with pillows in the background

He asked for money so that he could fly and see me, so I sent it over.

I never heard from him again."

Anonymous, 42

5.

A woman with curly hair, wearing a white blouse, looks stressed while sitting at a desk with a smartphone, notebook, pen, and open laptop in front of her

I had gone on a date to a casino, and he gave me $100 to play.

I won $450 and felt so happy gambling seemed fun!

“I had two unwanted pregnancies, resulting in two abortions.

Person in foreground wearing a yellow top, sitting thoughtfully; person in background on a couch, wearing a maroon shirt and shorts. Names not provided

My sex life has been non-existent since.”

“Staying in a relationship with a guy who had nothing going on in life.

All he did was work and never wanted to do anything.

A person wearing a long-sleeve shirt uses a calculator while holding a stack of dollar bills, focusing on paperwork on a desk

We had a son, and he didn’t even care for him.

I wasted seven years being with someone who didn’t enjoy life.

I shut myself down and stayed loyal; I didn’t even have any social media.

Don’t ever waste your life with someone that doesn’t value you.”

“I stayed with an emotionally abusive tyrant who ruled our home with fear.

I finally went to therapy, and I was able to emotionally distance myself from caring about him.

kindly get help as soon as you recognize there are issues!

I threw my youth away for lifestyle trinkets!

He’s mellow now, but it’s too late.

I left for five years which were great times but now I’m back for financial benefits.

It’s crushing my spirits.

crunchymagazine51

9.

It didn’t stop her from asking for more.

I told her off and cut off all contact.

Later, she tried to get back on my good side.

I told her the only way to do that was to send a good-faith payment on the loan.

I never heard back from her.

“I lost my daughter once she turned 19.

She turned into her horrible boyfriend and started acting and talking like him.”

I had boundaries with my family, but he refused to do the same.

Finally, he freed me by filing for divorce.

She was in her mid-30s and shy.

(you might guess where this is going).

She sent him the money which was most of her savings and their relationship continued for several more months.

Finally, my coworker told me that she was going to meet the man at the airport one night.

She took a vacation, booked a nice hotel, and went to the airport.

Nothing he never showed up and never talked to her again.

She was CRUSHED, and she had to tell everyone what happened.”

“I made the mistake of attempting polyamory with my husband of 17 years.

We married young, so I never got to explore my bisexuality.

Also, my husband traveled a lot for work, and having young kids, I was super lonely.

We only tried for four months, but it was so traumatic for both of us.

I ended up in an outpatient mental health program and was diagnosed with severe depression and CPTSD.

I just wish we could’ve gotten to this point in less traumatic ways.”

“I got into a situationship with this guy, knowing he was a player.

I went in with zero hopes for an emotional connection, but guess what?

We did connect or so I believed.

Four months into the relationship, he started to become verbally abusive.

Every night, we would go to bed after fighting for hours.

It was classic narcissist behavior.

It doesn’t help that I was 31 with a PhD in neuropsychology.”

I regret that I allowed this to happen twice.

I ran my credit card up by thousands in my early 30s and again in my late 30s.

This happened for several reasons.

First, I had to replace my entire wardrobe because it was stuck in the ’90s and 2000s.

16.Lastly: “Staying in an unhappy long-term relationship and cheating on them.

I know it’s wrong.

We’ve helped each other through some dark times.”

Anonymous, 36, Minnesota

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.