I really connected with this. You laid the visual out really well. You have a true talent in your words. I had a dream once and my mother was being sexually expolited by this man who has involved with drugs and she would say "No quiero papi" which translates as "I don't want in English". The man used a knife to carve into her back directions or something and essentially it came down to either me saving my mom or saving myself. I'm leaving some details out but the dream made of think of what it means to really love someone and what does taking  life for life or doing tic for tac do but cause even more hurt and pain. It just made me think about some things a little bit differently. I just wanted to share that with you.