People will disagree, but can we talk about how manipulative it was for Riftan to use his mother's suicide to pressure Maxi into staying? He refused to open up about his past when she asked before (season 4), yet waited until the night before she left to reveal it, knowing how guilty & afraid she'd feel. Given his past statements about not surviving another 3 years without her, it felt less like vulnerability & more like indirectly threatening suicide if she left. That's a very selfish burden to put on Maxi.
As novel readers know, Maxi spends Book 2 terrified of Riftan ending up like his mother after she leaves. She was already emotionally distraught by their argument, & the decision to leave was taking a serious toll on her mental health. Then Riftan chose this moment to reveal his mother’s suicide & abandonment issues, placing an enormous emotional burden on her. Yet readers blame Maxi for “abandoning” him while ignoring how his manipulation made her fear she was driving him toward the same fate.
If you think his actions weren't intentional, you're missing the point. Whether he intended to manipulate or not, intent doesn't erase the distress and guilt Riftan's unresolved trauma puts Maxi through. Maxi actively confronts her trauma & tries to grow, while Riftan repeatedly weaponizes his to justify controlling her and sabotaging that growth because he's afraid of losing her. Yet he never takes responsibility for the emotional abuse he inflicts. Trauma explains harm. It doesn't excuse it.
People will disagree, but can we talk about how manipulative it was for Riftan to use his mother's suicide to pressure Maxi into staying? He refused to open up about his past when she asked before (season 4), yet waited until the night before she left to reveal it, knowing how guilty & afraid she'd feel. Given his past statements about not surviving another 3 years without her, it felt less like vulnerability & more like indirectly threatening suicide if she left. That's a very selfish burden to put on Maxi.
As novel readers know, Maxi spends Book 2 terrified of Riftan ending up like his mother after she leaves. She was already emotionally distraught by their argument, & the decision to leave was taking a serious toll on her mental health. Then Riftan chose this moment to reveal his mother’s suicide & abandonment issues, placing an enormous emotional burden on her. Yet readers blame Maxi for “abandoning” him while ignoring how his manipulation made her fear she was driving him toward the same fate.
If you think his actions weren't intentional, you're missing the point. Whether he intended to manipulate or not, intent doesn't erase the distress and guilt Riftan's unresolved trauma puts Maxi through. Maxi actively confronts her trauma & tries to grow, while Riftan repeatedly weaponizes his to justify controlling her and sabotaging that growth because he's afraid of losing her. Yet he never takes responsibility for the emotional abuse he inflicts. Trauma explains harm. It doesn't excuse it.