and that the scars left by verbal/emotional abuse take the longest to heal...
Yep!
You know the old saying actions speak........he can tell you he wants to change until he's blue in the face, doesn't mean he's going to. He has to want to change for him, not just to get you to come home, because as soon as you do chances are he will get comfortable doing the same ol thing and guess what, things will be back to "normal" in no time.
Like FD said you have only given 2 years of your life to this relationship, do you want to give 23 to this kind of life?
Mindi