I don't know how this happened. It was probably over something quite trivial, but one time he started punching and kicking me.
I fell onto the floor and he carried on punching and kicking me, up and down my spine.
By the time he was violent, I lost the ability to think independently and logically. His behavior before that had been one of chipping away at my self esteem. I was more aware of how he was feeling than of how I was feeling.
I really believed that I would never escape alive. I had commitment, I loved this man and I always thought I was bigger than this. He would never say, "yes, I behaved badly" or "yes, I am violent."
I started to understand what people call the slow burn, when women murder their partners. I thought if he wasn't here I could escape and I started to fantasize about killing him."
Lesley, UK For more true stories CLICK HERE


