I met my abuser in 2017 through mutual peers at a party. He impregnated me in 2018 and we moved in together. The first red flags were his love bombing and cheating. I tried to leave then but he manipulated me by lying.
When our child was 9 months old he physically assaulted me, broke my nose, and attempted to murder me by strangling me until I passed out. He tried to flee but the police were at the door. I did not prosecute him but the state of Ohio did. They sealed the record since it was his first domestic violence case after he completed a batterer’s intervention program. I stayed with him for about 3 more years in hopes he would change, as promised, and keep our family. Everybody told me it would get worse and it did.
He continued to abuse me in every sense of the word, in front of our toddler. He would withhold my personal belongings during arguments, making it impossible for me to leave. He also began sexually assaulting me in the last year of our relationship. Because of these factors, I often slept fully clothed with my jacket on and belongings hidden on my body, ready to leave if necessary.
On May 15, 2021 he attempted to physically assault and strangle me again. Since he did it before, I was ready to defend myself and hid my personal belongings the night before in my child’s toy box. He thought the police would come again so he left for the entire day which gave my child and I the opportunity to get out for good! I packed and unpacked a Uhaul 3x within 12 hours and also made a police report. I did not go full no-contact until 6 months later after he threatened to shoot up my parents’ house.
The case from 2021 is still open today, in Jan. 2024, because he continues to violate our protection order by stalking and harrassing myself and family. I recently made a powerful statement to the judge asking to revoke his probation and she sentenced him to jail time for the first time in 5 years! My family and I have a protection order and no contact order against him until 2027! We both are also in trauma therapy and found God, which has helped us tremendously. Have hope, Survivor!
