<\/p>\n
I never knew that being in an abusive relationship did not have to consist of physical abuse. Therefore, I stayed in a toxic relationship for about 7 years. My dignity, self worth as a woman, and happiness were at the hands of this man who claimed to love me and called me his queen. He belittled, humiliated, and made me feel worthless. I felt that I didn\u2019t deserved to be loved. He said I was too emotional and mimicked me when I cried. He even mentioned once that he would never hit a woman but would get his sister to \u201ckick your ass\u201d. Multiple times he stated that his dad taught him to never hit a woman…he forgot about respect and how to appreciate a woman. I would of done anything for him but two years ago I opened my eyes and made a plan to leave him…2 months later I executed that plan and finally left. Yes, I went back but never to live with him again because finally I saw my self worth and eventually cut all ties. He left scars too deep to heal as I grieved the end of the relationship and I questioned myself, I sometimes felt that I was the one at fault. Now every time I remember the relationship, I only recall the unpleasant times. It\u2019s rare when I remember the few good times. Those extremely bad memories appear out of nowhere but have kept me strong and have helped me to heal. I never want to place myself in that position ever again. I felt that I needed to break the silence because sometimes words hurt so much, but there is hope. Definitely the support from my mom and friends helped me get through this. Again, I always thought that an abusive relationship involved physical abuse. Even when I talked to a friend who provided domestic violence workshops and told me I was in an abusive relationship, I didn\u2019t believe her. I didn\u2019t know any better and recently I started looking into it and realize that she was right. It took me two years to accept it, but I\u2019m in a better place.<\/p>\n
\nNotice: The names in this story are fictitious to protect the request for anonymity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Survivor Sister Rachael Reel speaks out breaking her silence about domestic violence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,522],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-break-your-silence","category-sister-survivors"],"yoast_head":"\n