Title: “The Demon Behind Closed Doors”
Submitted: July 7, 2024

Part 1: The Illusion of Perfection

Ella had known Ben since they were children. Their families lived on the same street, and their bond had always been a comfortable one, forged in shared memories of birthday parties, school dances, and summer days spent in the sun. Ben had always been charming, the kind of boy everyone liked—funny, a good listener, and with a charm that could melt anyone’s heart. When they reconnected years later, after a few years apart due to college and their separate lives, it seemed like fate. Ella couldn’t believe her luck. After all, who else could she trust more than someone she had known since childhood?

Ben had become the perfect partner in her eyes. He was thoughtful, caring, always saying just the right things, and made her feel seen and appreciated. They quickly became inseparable, and for a long time, Ella thought she was living a dream come true. But the dream quickly began to distort. Ella only knew Ben from a friend almost like family level but she never knew Ben from a romantic stand point. She would learn that some people can hide their inner demons better than others.

Part 2: The Hidden Face

At first, it was subtle—little things that seemed harmless. Ben would make cutting remarks disguised as jokes. He would dismiss her opinions, claiming she was being too sensitive whenever she expressed how his mean tactics affected her. He was always “the attentive and caring partner” in public, but when they were alone, he would criticize her, tear her down, and make her feel alone, and do malicious things to cause fights. It wasn’t until after their relationship became more serious that the full scope of his manipulation and dark side started to unfold. Ben had a temper that he kept well hidden but with time and his own delusional comfort; he didn’t feel the need to hide it from Ella anymore.

Ben’s behavior shifted in unexpected ways. Sometimes he would go weeks without speaking to Ella over a simple misunderstanding that usually escalated due to Ella simply not doing as Ben wished she would and then act as though nothing had happened when they would be around family or friends. He also started to exhibit physical domination tactics to over power Ella. Other times, he would show up unannounced at her work or taking and leaving with her debit card if she had plans with friends. Ben had his ways of manipulating people to isolate Ella from her family and friends. He would tell Ella how she couldn’t trust certain people because they were bad for her or to her, including her own family. He would secretly call her parents creating false scenarios of concern for Ella but in reality, he was setting the stage for his final act to completely isolate her.

Ella felt torn—he was the person she’d trusted most, but these sudden outbursts and the controlling nature of his actions left her confused. His charm, when in public, was so dazzling. He was loved by their friends, adored by her family, and seemed to excel at presenting the perfect partner. But at night, in the dark of their apartment, he was someone else entirely. He would belittle her choices, mock her emotions, and push her to question her own sanity at times. After all, she was a successful and intelligent woman, how could she allow herself to be manipulated and controlled by someone? She had seen movies and read stories about women in similar situations and she declared over and over, “That will NEVER happen to me!”

His gaslighting was a force Ella wasn’t prepared for. His disarming charm would haunt her even as she tried to reason with him. “I never said that,” he would claim. “You’re just being dramatic. You know how sensitive you are.” And every time, she began to doubt herself, feeling like she was the problem.

Part 3: The Nightmare Unfolds

One evening, Ben’s coldness was elevated than normal, his presence hovering over her like an ominous shadow. The conversation started innocuously—talking about their plans for the weekend—but then something shifted. His tone darkened, his eyes narrowed, and his words became sharper. Ella noticed how his demeanor changed when he became angry, how the calm and collected man she once knew turned into something unpredictable, something sinister. He pushed her buttons intentionally, pulling at the seams of her patience until she finally snapped.

“Why can’t you just be normal?” he demanded, his eyes flashing with disdain as he poured himself a drink of his favorite cognac. “Everyone else is fine with me, so why are you always trying to ruin things?” He takes a slow sip of his drink, his eyes gleaming at Ella as a slight sinister smile pierced the corners of his mouth. “My Mother told me that you think your better than me.”

Ella felt a wave of nausea. It was as if his charm had morphed into a venomous, insidious form of control. He was twisting the situation, turning everything against her. That night, Ben left, but the damage was done. Ella found herself looking over her shoulder in her own home, doubting her every move, wondering if she was imagining things. She began to plan her exit from this life and from Ben, forever. She knew it would have to be carefully and quietly planned. Ben’s temper tantrums were no longer a hidden secret and he was embracing them more and more each day. Ella was fearful of what he could possibly do to her if provoked by his own delusion.

The stalking began slowly at first—Ben showing up at places she frequented, calling and texting endlessly, sending her messages even when she didn’t respond. His tactics grew more menacing over time. He would drive past her home late at night, staring at her windows, and she could feel his presence, even when she wasn’t sure if he was physically near.

One day, she found cigarette butts of his favorite cigarette brand outside of her bedroom window that appeared to have been tampered with. She started studying the ground around her window to find, two boot prints hidden under the large plant under her window.

Part 4: Breaking Free

Ella realized she was trapped. She couldn’t turn to anyone—Ben had successfully isolated her from anyone who would listen, playing on her insecurities and twisting everything she said to his advantage. He manipulated her loved ones into thinking she was the problem for walking away from him, sowing seeds of doubt, so they questioned her claims when she confided in them. She felt completely alone.

But one day, after a particularly vicious argument, Ella reached her breaking point. She couldn’t live this way anymore. She knew she wasn’t crazy—she was being abused. The moment she realized that, something inside her shifted. She decided that she wasn’t going to let him control her life any longer.

She documented every incident, taking screenshots of texts and messages, writing down every instance where he had crossed the line. She reached out to a therapist who helped her see the manipulation for what it truly was. She found strength in the quiet moments of her life, learning to trust herself again.

It wasn’t easy, but Ella eventually found the courage to confront him, standing her ground and telling him she was done with allowing him to stalk and harass her. She called out his actions—his gaslighting, his manipulation, the way he had tried to control her life. His charming façade slipped, and in that moment, she saw the true face of the man who had once been her childhood friend. He was furious, of course, throwing out threats and promises of revenge. But Ella had crossed a threshold. She was no longer the victim in his game.

Part 5: Standing in Truth

Ella knew her journey wasn’t over. Ben didn’t just disappear. He retaliated in small, insidious ways, using his charm to manipulate others into siding with him. But Ella refused to let herself be silenced. She spoke out—first to her friends, then on social media. She shared her story, using her voice to stand up not just for herself, but for others who had suffered in silence.

Her courage inspired others to speak out as well. Slowly, Ben’s life began to crumble. His lies caught up with him. The façade of the perfect man was shattered. People started to see him for what he truly was—someone who thrived on power and control, someone who had used others as pawns in his cruel games.

His reputation fell apart. He lost friends, his career began to falter, and eventually, his charm no longer held the same sway over people. Ella watched from a distance, not with vindication, but with a quiet sense of relief. The person she had once trusted, the person who had tried to destroy her, was left with nothing but time to reflect on the pain he has caused Ella and others around him. Ella hoped Ben would seek out the help that he desperately needed to overcome the demons he had within.

Part 6: The Triumph

Ella, on the other hand, emerged stronger. She had learned to trust herself, to reclaim her life, and to stand in her truth. She became an advocate for others who had experienced abuse, using her story to educate and empower. Her voice—once silenced—was now loud and unapologetic. She would later become a successful women’s right advocate, speaking around the world to help women like herself, find their peace and freedom from abusive men.

And as for Ben? He was just a man now, no longer the perfect figure she had once thought him to be. His life had unraveled because of his own actions, while Ella’s had flourished. She had triumphed, not just over him, but over the person she had been before—the person who was afraid to speak out, afraid to take a stand, even if it was alone.

Ella stood tall, a woman who had found her strength in the face of darkness, and she knew that no matter what came next, she would never again allow herself to be silenced. Ella would later find true love in a man who was the complete opposite of Ben. They would go on to marry and welcome a healthy baby boy.

Ella was finally free.