I was patient zero. Looking back at the relationship I thought was love.
Patient Zero I was “patient zero.” And I mean that in the way that, according to him, I was the first person who treated him better than any of the recent girls he had dated. But sometimes I wonder if I was more than patient zero. Maybe I was the first person to experience a version of him that I didn't yet have the words to understand. I recently listened to Taylor Swift's song “Patient Zero,” and the more I listened, the more pieces of my own story seemed to appear in the lyrics. The song talks about someone who comes into your life like fireworks. Someone who seems to have a halo, while there is something darker underneath. It talks about the “toxins” slowly taking hold and about someone who can charm the people around you while the relationship behind closed doors tells a completely different story. That was my relationship. From the outside, we gave everyone a show. We looked like the perfect couple. I doted on him, catered to him, and tried to be the best partner I cou...