My name is Genie, i suffered violent abuse from my mother until I was 20 years old and decided I just was not going to be her punching bag anymore, and though I was loath to leave my beloved dad behind who also suffered my mother’s abuse, I walked away. Thinking I was finally growing up and away from the terror. But I fell down the rabbit hole when I met my ex-husband. He courted me for 2 years and was gentle and kind and giving and I thought I had lucked out and when he asked me to marry him, I happily agreed. I cannot even begin to describe what happened to me a few months into the marriage. The first time I had my “accident” he said I was clumsy. I agreed with him and thought maybe I was clumsy. The second “accident” not so much. The third time I started to get a little paranoid and wondered what I had married. I was used to my mothers anger but he never showed his anger, instead he would “accidentally” push me down stairs, then help me up and say he was “sorry.” The 6th time he began not to leave any bruises because people were starting to notice and they were not explainable. My dad threatened him with violence if it continued, so he got a new job across the country and dragged me away from the protection of my dad. The accidents continued but this time they came with broken bones. We visited several hospital emergency rooms over 4 months and he always gave the same excuses to the medical staff. “She fell off the roof when the ladder tipped over or his favorite one “She was being heroic getting our “cat” out the tree, and fell out the tree.” We did not have a cat.” But since he had to sign me in everytime I went to the ER, it sounded plausible to them. Just before we would get there he would threaten me with worse if I didn’t keep my mouth shut. Then he stopped me having friends. My friends sent the police around to make sure I was okay. Afterwards we moved again. A year later I was pregnant with triplets and he left me alone. In fact he turned into the man I first met. For 9 months life was blissful. Then my boys were born and unfortunately 2 died of cancer complications within 3 weeks of birth. I was absolutely devastated at their loss. My remaining baby was just the most adorable sweetest baby ever. He never fussed and seemed always content. By then my husband was unemployed. He decided to become self-employed. He never told me what he did but there was always plenty of money available and our outlook seemed to improve greatly. Before his self-employment, we basically lived hand to mouth every month. House payment mainly chewed up the money. For a few months at least. I was still not allowed friends and I had to sneak calls to my dad. This carried on until he got arrested one day and charged with drug trafficking. I was totally astonished. I never saw any drugs in the house. Things started going downhill from there. But now my husband had 2 people to batter. He got away with a fine because it was his first time. We moved 7 more times across state and I was permanently afraid of him. I needed to protect my only child and he kept telling me he wanted more children. I went to a clinic and had myself sterilized as there was no way in hell I was going to allow him someone else to batter. The final end to all of this came when the DEA caught him with over $2 million in Rock Cocaine and he went to jail for 5 years. I started divorce proceedings against him and told him that if he didn’t give me a divorce I would hire someone to make him disappear permanently. It was a bluff but it worked much to my surprise. Thinking that I was finally free of him, I went back to my home town and got an apartment to rent, got a job and made another discovery, my dad had brought my mother up on charges of spousal abuse. He didn’t tell them that she had done the same to me. She had to go for anger management and was in a place of safety. My dad became my sons surrogate dad. He absolutely adored my son. For over a year I had no husband and no mother. Life was bliss. Then my mom got out and I was terrified all over again but nothing happened. To my shock she treated my son like solid gold. She still got mad at dad but she never lifted a hand to my son. I had found a safe haven for my son and I was happy. Things were not great money wise but I managed and my dad would slip me cash every now and then. I reconnected with old friends. I was doing okay and I was happy, but then someone warned me my ex-husband had been released and he was looking for me. I knew that I would have to give up my freedom and apartment and I did and moved back home. It was safer at home then anywhere else even if my mother and I had to live under the same roof. Most of the time she controlled her temper. My dad had warned her that if she tried anything he would divorce her and take me and disappear. She was an old lady by then and had no family. Dad and I were it. She had no friends because she had been awful to most of them. She didn’t want to be alone so she behaved herself-mostly. Then I had a chance encounter with my ex. He beat the crap out of me and I ended up in the E.R with a broken jaw, lost many teeth, he broke my arm in 3 places and had 2 broken ribs. Whilst he beat me he kept screaming that he wanted his son. Where was his son. For the beating he went back to jail and I pressed charges. He spent 15 months in jail. He sent me a note saying when he got out me and my family were dead people walking. My dad handed the note to the police and the threat garnered my ex an additional 5 months. Which made him more angry. My father decided to move us all out to California and he rented out the house, as additional income. The local police were notified and for a month after my ex’s release they patrolled and looked after us. My son went off to College and does not ask after his dad. My mom had a stroke and died in 2016 and my dad mourned her for years even though he had had a horrible life with her. I treasure everything I did with my dad until he died of pneumonia in November 2019. I am still afraid my ex will eventually find me, but this time I carry a handgun. I am never going to allow any man to hurt me again. Recently I heard that my ex is now in the Florida State Pen. He got busted carrying a keel load of heroin between Fort Lauderdale and Bermuda by the Coast Guard. He was sentenced to 40 years without parole. I can breathe okay again. But I will never trust another man again. I still carry the scars bodily, they will never go away. I had 20 years of hell with my mother and 15 years of hell with my ex. I am a survivor. Nobody is ever going to hurt me again.
Notice: The names in this story are fictitious to protect the request for anonymity.
