Boyfriend said he couldn't lie, or he'd get a rash and itch to death, and I believed him until his first love showed up.

My boyfriend, Daniel, never lied.

He said I had a ‘fat gene’ that would shorten my life, so I needed to diet. I bit back my protest and agreed.

He told me I was a bad omen for my parents, that my presence could harm their health, so I had to stay away. After much agonizing, tears blurring my vision, I agreed.

Then he claimed my features weren’t ‘right’ for our future, that they needed to be ‘adjusted’ for our marriage to work. After agonizing over it, I still said yes.

The day of the surgery, lying in the operating room, it suddenly hit me: I was allergic to a certain anesthetic.