My Story – Brianna

This horrifying nightmare took place back in 2017 involving my ex boyfriend Dimitri and his grandmother Nicole. I was about 19 years old and Dimitri was around 23. I remember when I first moved in things got weird. My first day moving in Nicole asked me to clean out her fridge and freezer. I opened it and immediately felt ill. There was so much food shoved and stacked in any place possible. Maggots, ants, and roaches were everywhere. I couldn’t believe my eyes. She made me get on my hands and knees and scrub it from top to bottom. I was furious. How can you treat a guest; someone who just moved in this way? Little did I know, this was just the beginning. Next, was the pots scattered all over her kitchen filled with old food and maggots. I had to scrub and clean those as well. I never gagged so much in my life. It was absolutely vile. From then on, i had to wash her dirty laundry, wash her car, cook for her, and clean the whole house. Guess where Dimitri was? Sitting on his butt on his phone or playing video games. It became very apparent to me that I was a house slave. She would belittle me, talk down on me, and manipulate me. I had to do all of these things for $15 a week. As time progressed, everything became much more difficult. I would ask for Dimitri’s help and he would get upset. I was tired, stressed, and drained in every way possible. I never got to relax or do things that I wanted to do. One night after I had finished Nicole’s demands, I went to go sit on the couch and talk to Dimitri. I noticed that he was texting his ex Kim. I asked him why he was talking to her. He had told me in the past that she was crazy and obsessive. So, I felt confused. He explained to me that she just wanted to be friends and that he’s giving her a chance. I was like okay, well I’m going to go talk to one of my exes too then. He proceeds to get up, comes over to me, and punches me repeatedly in the stomach as hard as he can. I remember laying there in disbelief at what just happened. Why was it okay for him to do it, but not me? That’s all I could think. The next morning I woke up with unbelievable stomach pain. I went into the bathroom, pulled up my shirt, and seen a whole row of bruises from him. Later in the week, he tells me that Kim wants to hang out. She offered to buy him a tattoo he’s been wanting. So, I’m like okay this seems very sketchy. I asked if I could go with him. Of course he told me no. Even his grandmother wouldn’t let me go. I was angry. How can you go hang out with your ex, let her buy you a tattoo, and not even at least let me be there? He claimed she was obsessive, crazy, and didn’t understand boundaries. So, why go? He was gone for 12 hours that day. He went and got the tattoo with Kim and said he would come right home. We ended up having to pick him up later that night at Kim’s apartment. I was full of rage. He gets in the car and acts as if everything was fine. As if it wasn’t 11 pm at night. Over the course of the next few days, I asked him what happened that night. I’m not dumb. I put two and two together. He swears up and down that they just got the tattoo and went back to her apartment to smoke weed. Well, I don’t know about anyone else. But, me personally; I wouldn’t smoke weed with my ex unless I had other intentions. Dimitri claims he brought me a present. He came home with weed and a bag of pills. I’m like what do you want me to do with this? You think I’m going to trust drugs that came from your crazy ex? He explains that he used her and that’s why he was gone so long. He wanted to get drugs out of her. I told him that even though I don’t like her, that’s not right. You don’t use people. I asked him, so what did you have to do to get those drugs? There is no way you were gone 11 hours for a small tattoo, alone with your ex, under the influence of weed, and didn’t do something. After grilling him for hours, he goes on to tell me that Kim raped him while he was high. I didn’t believe that story at all. I seen those messages they were sending to each other. They were flirting and he thought I wouldn’t notice. So, I sat him down and gave him an ultimatum. I said I’ll give you another chance if you cut all ties with her, or I will leave and you can go be with her. But, you have proven to me I can’t trust you with her. He apologizes, swears to me that he will cut her off, and that he wants another chance. So, the next day we go to the mall. We’re having a really good day, we’re communicating, and talking through things and I was happy. Things felt hopeful. While we were at the mall I noticed Sprint was having a sale. It was our Anniversary and I wanted to do something special. So, I got the BOGO promotion for the IPhone 7 Plus. It had just came out, so it was very exciting. We go home and are setting up our phones and everything seems like it’s going great. We decided to put our fingerprint’s on each others phones to help build trust. So, we can unlock it if and when need be. A week later, I notice that Dimitri is glued to his phone. Every time he gets up it goes with him. To the bathroom, to the next room, to shower, it never left his sight. I thought that was weird. One night I go to stand next to him while he’s drawing. I pick up his phone to unlock it and notice my fingerprint had been deleted. I immediately confront him on why it was deleted and I no longer had access. I was stern and told Dimitri I wasn’t going to continue to put up with the lies and deceit. I threatened to get my things and move back home. Dimitri then pushed me down in the kitchen chair. He began to get very angry. He expressed that he’s a grown man who deserves privacy and I shouldn’t always be nagging him. I began to feel uneasy. He was screaming so loud that spit was hitting me. He grabbed the phones and proceeded to head for the front door. Dimitri opened it and went to the driveway to smash our new phones. I cried and begged him to stop. We had only had them a week. They were on a contract. So, I told myself it was time to go. I don’t care what it took. I knew I was leaving. I headed for Nicole’s bedroom. She was standing in the kitchen just watching all of this go down. I frantically began to ask her why she wasn’t stepping in and helping me. He was out of control. I asked her for her house phone. We went to her bedroom. She closed the door. I wanted to call the police. She wouldn’t give me the phone. I pleaded and begged. I told her I was scared. I didn’t want to live there anymore. She told me to just calm down and try to talk to him. She said I needed to be more respectful of his privacy. But, I explained to her there’s nothing wrong with wanting clarity when someone gives you reasons not to trust them. Dimitri busts through the door, grabs me by my shirt, and pins me to the wall in the hallway. He proceeds to put both of his hands around my neck and begins to choke me. I was petrified. I tapped his hands to let him know I couldn’t breathe. With the little bit of air I had, I begged him to please let me go. He told me he didn’t care. His eyes began to turn black. He began to look demonic. I could no longer breathe and I blacked out. I woke up to him dragging me by my hair in the kitchen, then bringing me into the bedroom. He threw me on the bed, pinned me down, and got on top of me. He said he hated me and that I was worthless. He said he was going to kill me, my family, and especially my little brother. Dimitri began spitting on me, choking me again, and pulled some of my hair out. Nicole was banging on the door trying to get him to open it, but he wouldn’t. He told her to shut the hell up and mind her business. He went on and yanked me off of the bed, pulled me by my shirt, and went and threw me on the couch. Nicole tried to get Dimitri to calm down. He started picking up Nicole’s figurines and charging at her. She went to her room and shut the door. Dimitri charged at me again. He picked me up by my hair, yanked me into the kitchen, and opened the basement door. Then, proceeded to throw me down the basement stairs. I landed on my stomach. I couldn’t move. All I could see was blood flowing around me. I didn’t know where it was coming from and sadly I didn’t care. I was so exhausted from the daily battles. I accepted my fate at that point and knew I was going to die. Not if, but when. I was absolutely beside myself and felt so scared. I had never felt more agonizing pain in my life. He eventually calmed down and tried to apologize. But, I knew this was something I could never forgive. I of course didn’t want to upset him again, so I just said it’s okay. From this point on, I walked on eggshells. I no longer had a phone, so I couldn’t talk to my family. I would ask if I can just go visit my family and he never would let me. I begged and begged. One day, my mom invited us over for dinner so her, my step dad, and grandpa could meet him. I kept thinking in my head this would be a perfect opportunity to try and get away. We went and of course he changed his persona very quickly. After dinner, I attempted to spend the night so I could talk to my family and get help. But, sure enough Dimitri didn’t like that. I told him he could just go home and I’ll come back tomorrow. He got upset, and told me to come outside. I followed him and he started getting loud and telling me I’m going to take my ass home whether I liked it or not. Every opportunity of talking to my family alone didn’t work. He would grip my arm or leg to hint to me that I need to watch myself. So, unfortunately that night I went back. I was so angry at myself. I was so close to being free and I let it slip away. I figured I’d never get to leave the house again. Dimitri never let me leave the house alone. I always had to be with him. I knew I had to make a plan fast, before it’s too late. I let a week go by before I asked again. I was so close with my little brother and I missed him so much. I started hiding to feel some sort of peace in my life. I’d take frequent bathroom breaks and showers, so I could have a peace of mind. I didn’t know what to do. Luckily, Dimitri started complaining to his grandmother that we didn’t have phones and we needed another one. So, the next day she took us to get one. It was nothing compared to my IPhone 7 Plus, but it was a phone. It was going to help me set myself free. That night when Dimitri went to sleep, I went to the bathroom and messaged my dad. I begged him to come and get me. I told him Dimitri had been abusing me every day and I was scared. He said he couldn’t come; for reasons I’ll never understand. I felt like I was going to die in that house. So, I went to bed and just told myself I’ll try again tomorrow. The next day comes and in the afternoon Dimitri proceeds to lay down and take a nap. He said he wasn’t feeling good. So, I figured this was my shot. I wanted to make an escape while he’s sleeping. I told him before he went to sleep I wanted to go see my little brother for awhile because I missed him. I told him I’d be back around dinner time. He agreed to let me go if I promised to come back. Little did he know; I wasn’t. I went into the bathroom and called my Aunt Joni. She was at work. I told her what had been going on. I told her I was scared and fearing from my life and I needed help getting out. She immediately left work and was on her way. I packed up whatever I could grab and went and sat in the driveway. She was there within 15 minutes. She got out and proceeded to ask if I needed anymore of my things. I left so much behind, but didn’t want to risk the chance of her getting hurt. I got in her car and never looked back. She took me back to IMO’s where she worked and made me some food. I remember sobbing as I ate. I had never felt so free. I was finally safe. I could breathe again. Everything felt like it was going to be okay. I got back home and immediately ran to my baby brother. I missed out on a whole year of his life. My life. I was held captive. I was a hostage. It felt so good to hug him. I was overwhelmed with emotions. Dimitri of course tried to contact me. I stood up for myself and blocked him on all platforms. All the way up until this point, I have been a victim. The trauma that stemmed from that house has chewed me up, and ate me alive. I now have PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, an eating disorder and BPD because of this monster. I turned to alcohol and drugs because of these events. I wanted to numb the pain and forget it all. I suffered 5 years in silence dealing with panic attacks, nightmares, sleepless nights, and heart palpitations. I can no longer enjoy scary films, sleep in the dark, be alone with a man, or leave the house alone. Every day is a battle. But, I am only bruised, not broken. I have gotten my GED, made the Honor’s Society in college, and am now pursuing Healthcare. I am in therapy. My relationship with God is striving. I have loving, supportive people in my corner that help me fight every day. I refuse to stay quiet any longer. I am a warrior; a survivor. I want to be a voice for the women still in these situations and need help escaping. I will be your voice!