u/JMoney6212

I (28F) have been with my husband (32M) for 8 years, married for 5. We have two young children. Without going into an abundance of details, I have experienced emotional/psychological and financial abuse for a lot of our relationship. He has untreated substance abuse issues and a suspected personality disorder, so on top of the abuse he is also quite manipulative and is a pathological liar. Through a lot of therapy (multiple years worth) I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am trauma bonded to this man. After yet another series of unfortunate events I decided it’s time for me and my children to go. I’ve worked with my therapist, have discussed with family and friends, and have consulted with multiple lawyers about how best to do this. I have my “plan” in place and feel pretty solid on that, but don’t entirely trust myself to follow through when he starts throwing curve balls during our conversation about our marriage being done. I have some scripted lines that I plan to stick to and will say no more/ no less than that. However, I’m wondering, for those that left relationships like this, specifically with young children, what “safe holds” did you put in place to make sure you didn’t back down or give in? What sorts of things did you tell yourself as you were getting ready to make your move? Any advice you can provide me with would be really appreciated. Thanks!