No form of domestic abuse is ever acceptable. There can be no excuses for the actions of a violent partner. This horrifying story shows why any form of abusive relationship should be terminated as soon as possible.
Love What Matters recently took the account of a woman who narrowly survived an extremely abusive relationship.
It isn’t exactly easy reading, but it is important. It perfectly showcases why people should not tolerate an abusive relationship.
Of course, that statement is easier said than done. Abusers are manipulative, obsessive and often incredibly terrifying.
Reading this story can help people identify the early warning signs of an abusive relationship and warn them of the dangers of staying in one.
Like many other women, Shanna Richardson thought that she had found the perfect match.
Her boyfriend was charming, handsome and very thoughtful.
It seemed like he would do anything for her. But he did have his flaws. He was jealous and certainly had a temper.
Sometimes, he would step over the line, but Shanna thought she could forgive him.
But over the years, it got worse.
“Arguments in my house didn’t end in resolution, or communication, or even one of us sleeping on the couch because we just needed to take a break and regroup in the morning. They ended in holes in the wall from fists aimed at my face. Broken glass, and broken bones.”
Many people would ask why Shanna didn’t just get out when this started. But it was much more complex than that.
Shanna loved her husband deeply, despite his flaws. Besides, they had had children. She desperately didn’t want to anything to upset them or put them in harm’s way.
But one weekend, it got worse than ever.
It was Shanna’s son’s birthday. She had had a little party for him. But then it was time for bed. She tucked her son and daughter in for the night.
But then Shanna’s husband came home from work. He was pissed off. Shanna didn’t know what had gone wrong, but she knew who he would take the anger out on.
He walked up to her, dragged her to her feet, put a knife to her throat.
He asked her if she wanted him to kill her.
Then he started hitting and hitting her. Shanna was being battered like never before.
The next morning, Shanna woke up. She was shocked at all the blood on her pillow.
And then she remembered what had happened.
She tried sitting up and was met with pain in her chest. Some ribs had been broken.
She decided to look for her phone. After scanning the room she saw it. Like her, it had been beaten, only the phone was beyond repair.
Her husband woke up. He seemed like a completely different person compared to the night before.
He apologized wholeheartedly for what he had done
Shanna was used to this. Once again, she “felt the longing for the love that burned so hot in the beginning.”
The next day, he bought her a replacement phone. He said that if she covered her black eye with make-up, they could go to town tomorrow for lunch.
Still, Shanna had hope. She thought that there may still be a chance to “talk, work out our issues.”
She was also looking forward to the guarantee of several peaceful days.
That next morning, Shanna decided to go out and buy her husband breakfast. But on her way back, she got a text that made her heart pound. It said, “Where are you?”
She replied saying that she was heading home right away.
She drove home to see her husband standing on the porch, with a frown on his face.
He snatched the food from her and hit her in the face.
“Where have you been?! Why did you leave without telling me? I swear to God, Shanna. You have pissed me off for the last time.”
He dragged her by the hair to the house. Her shoe fell off, and she tried to grab it.
That was when he turned around and started choking her.
Shanna’s husband had choked her so many times before. But this time she thought she was actually going to die.
Luckily, she managed to scramble away. She ran to the road outside their house.
She kept running and running. Shanna’s survival instincts made her outpace her husband.
Her husband stopped chasing her. Still, Shanna ran.
Instead, her husband started texting her. The phone kept buzzing and buzzing.
Eventually, she made it to the police station. She stopped to catch her breath.
At last, she was free.
This story is indeed harrowing, and it doesn’t end there. After his arrest, Shanna’s husband begged her to bail him out.
She had to resist the urge to do so hundreds of times. But finally, her resolve said that she had to move beyond him and start a new life.
Shanna now says that “If you or someone you know is experiencing violence of any kind, even if it’s not physical, please reach out.”
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