There was disagreement, and there was slander. There were times when things broke and people hit walls. Tears and apologies followed, and things seemed to get better.
On one occasion, however, a threat was made. One party cringed when he heard words he never thought he would hear. Then one night, while her children were sleeping, he put a knife to her throat. And oh, I’d like to say it wasn’t true, but it was. She herself said to me:
Please, please. If you’re in a relationship and you see behaviors like those listed here, get help. When you love someone, you want to help them. If you continue to engage in destructive behavior, you are not loving it. Don’t let fear keep you from doing the right thing.
The woman I mentioned? She was my sister, but I don’t have her anymore because she waited too long to share what was going on.
Don’t let her story become yours.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Marjan Apostolovich
Anne Peterson Poet, public speaker and author of 14 books. her memoir, Broken: A Story of Abuse and Survival.You can also receive her free e-book true love or check out her website here.