The more I think about this, more comes to light. Before my STBXAH I let people walk on me. That part of me is gone now thanks to him. In a way, he made me look at myself and see the parts that had developed that I knew weren't who I wanted to be. Another big change is that I will never feel the obligation to lie for someone again. While we were together I felt like I had to lie for him to protect him. He would tell me to lie so that others would see him for who he wanted to be perceived as and not who he actually was. I know now that someone who requires dishonesty, isn't worth the time and in actuality, even though the lies were meant for others, I was really just lying to myself.