Re: Catherine/Adam #1~Not the first time around, but the sec
Yes, she knew it was an accident. She even told Gil it was an accident (though I don't think he believed her). Adam let go of the car door and it came smashing into her face. But how many times have you heard Catherine admit that she was scared? Once here in Weeping willows and once after her attack in A little murder.
But then later on, Adam shows up at her house and she's still scared of him enough that she shields her family from him by sending them into the house. Then she pulls a gun on him. He's a lawyer and I'm sure he's seen enough cases throughout his career to learn that you don't show up at a the house of a person you've had an unpleasant run-in with previously, plus she was still suspecting him of a crime at that time.
"Abusive" doesn't just mean him hitting her the way Eddie did. Adam was abusive in the fact that he gave her reason to fear for her & her family's safety.
Even in LLV, during Adam's scene with Nick, you still see him considering her a bitch and a man hater with a vandeta against him for personal reasons. But at the end, with no case between them and no alcohol to cloud their visions, they've finally seen another side to each other. I just can't wait until these two have spent some more time together.