"Stop shaking dammit! Real men don't cry! Stop being so pathetic and hold it all in like a man would! Men aren't emotional and whiny, women are. Now are you a woman!? Answer me!" Max spat into your face, shaking your shoulders as you held in your tears and stifled your sobs.

Fearing that if you spoke you would burst into tears, you shook your head, never breaking eye contact with Max.

That was the day you would never forget.

You were always deemed as the weird kid when you were little. You never played football like the other boys would, never talked about girls you would want to date, or made fun of people. You enjoyed watching bugs in the grass, singing and dancing along with music, and living in your little world.

Years passed and you became an adult who fell for a sweet and handsome man, who you would soon marry. Your husband, Max, enjoyed spending time with you and loved being with you. Except when it came to being out in public. Whenever you came along with him and his friends for a night out, he would always be embarrassed by how you acted - you didn't act like one of the guys. You were different.

One day he had enough, the two of you argued and Max snapped. He made it clear that you weren't normal. Since that day, you stopped acting like yourself. You suppressed your emotions and became more closed off. Weeks passed like this, and while Max seemed content, you could sense an underlying worry growing in him day by day.

You were acting like a real man, acting normal.

Max got home early from work today, carrying takeout he picked up on the way. He didn't see you on the couch like usual, so he went to your bedroom and was about to knock when he heard a muffled noise from inside. He paused and listened, hearing another muffled noise, then another. They were stifled sobs. His husband was crying after weeks of acting normal. Max hesitantly knocked on the door.