My Story – Amy

At the end of January of 2020 I got in to a new relationship, shortly after getting out of a 6 year relationship. Everything seemed great for the first month. We went out in March to a bar where I introduced him to my cousin. He told my cousin that I took something that night, but in reality he slipped something in to my drink. My cousin knew immediately that I wasn’t safe and tried everything she could to protect me. I went back to his house anyways. Everything went down hill from there. It began with screaming in my face to the point I would be shaking and in tears. I began self harming heavily because of him. I was eventually hospitalized in a psychiatric unit. My parents begged me to come home after I got out. But I didn’t. He told me that my family and friends only wanted to keep me away from him and I unfortunately believed him. May of 2020 is when it got physical. He bought a taser and would hit me with the taser multiple times even after I would tell him to stop. I called my mom in the middle of the night but I hung up because he convinced me that I was crazy and I “wanted” to be hit with the taser. The next day after being hit with the taser multiple times my mom came and picked me up because he had made it to where I could no longer drive- he messed with the oil in my car and my engine locked up. My mom found out what happened and she took me to get a protective order. I got it but I didn’t follow through with it.. I went back. Things just got even worse. July was the worst month of my entire month. I tried to take my own life because of how I was treated and how worthless I felt. Then when I thought things couldn’t get any worse.. They did. We went to see some people in the city. I had a sip of a twisted tea. He was on drugs and drank a lot. We went to leave and realized my car was in a garage that had closed for the evening.. That’s when it started.. The screaming, the hate. Everything. I had bought him a phone about a week prior and it was under my name. He said he wanted to break up so I wanted the phone back. He refused to give it to me and proceeded to call me crazy. I got the chance to take the phone and I did. I turned to walk away and he grabbed me from behind and shoved me to the ground and hit my face on the concrete breaking two of my teeth. I was scared for my life. I got up and called 911. The dispatcher could barely understand me because I was hysterical. Luckily I saw an officer driving by and I waved him down. I was safe. I was scared still and hysterically crying but I was safe. I saw him get placed in handcuffs and as they were putting him in the police van he yelled “I’m sorry, I love you” as I was backing away screaming and crying saying “no”. The officer placed a hand on my shoulder to assure me I was safe. I got another protective order and I followed through with this one. At the end of the order he reached out and I almost got dragged right back in but I was smarter this time. Now 2023 I am in a very healthy and happy relationship. My smile has been restored. My heart has been healed. My soul is still in the process of being healed but it gets better every day. I have people that love and care about me and support me. I know what I deserve now.