I used to date a dude whose dad was a POS in jail for DV-related stuff against his step-mom, but they stayed together. It super changed the dynamic for the better on his step-mom's side. She actually had control over life decisions, and if he didn't respect her boundaries, she just didn't pick up his calls or visit him. And he really really really depended on her, so it was like a taste of his own medicine. She got to date around for a while (in secret ofc) and honestly I think it was just tolerable for her when others could literally control his abuse and alcoholism because he had no plans to. So if course he's talking sweet to get in the phone, missing her so bad, being on his best behavior. When he got out it reverted, of course. And then he died from some very bad decisions only a year after. After all of that, I always wondered if she wished he had stayed in jail.