“I had been happily married to the love of my life, Charlie, but little did I know he was nothing but a monster in disguise. I belong to an affluent family, and I’m an interior designer by profession. He was a well-to-do software engineer, and we dated for over 5 years before getting engaged. Even my parents did not resent when I confessed to them that I wanted to marry him. They really liked him a lot; he had that charm!

It was not long before I realized what trap I had fallen into by getting hitched to Charlie! He was such a different person. Unfortunately, the recession had hit the markets, and due to rampant unemployment, Charlie lost his job! I remember I was extremely supportive of him and told him everything would be fine in some time. But he had already started transforming. He grew insecure about my work, took into alcohol, and always saw me with suspicion (as though I were having an affair with my colleagues or something!). He started to think I thought him to be unworthy. But there was no truth attached to it.

We would fight regularly, and he would even hit me sometimes. There were days I would go to work with a black eye! He would also force me to ask for money from my parents because he wanted to start up a new venture. Now, why would I? It was against my own ethics. He would beat me up even more when I would refuse. Sometimes, he would lock me up in a room, and keep me hungry for days at a stretch. I started breaking down both mentally and physically. But yes, I did not want to leave him.

I only waited for better days and prayed to God to give my old Charlie back, but even He wasn’t listening. I put up with his rough behavior and the domestic violence because I loved him immensely. I kept giving myself the reason that he was just under stress because of his lost job, and he would change, but NO! After about a year, he got employed in a local company, however, the pay wasn’t as much as the last one. But there are always chances for growth right? It all happens gradually, and something is better than nothing, I felt. But Charlie hadn’t changed! All his frustration came out in the form of hitting and abusing me.

I tolerated his behaviour for a good 2 years, and trust me I tried to end my life a number of times but failed. Eventually, I realized I did not deserve any of this. I decided to take a stand for myself, and with my parents’ help, reported a case of domestic violence against him. Today he is behind the bars, and though my scars and the mental trauma I faced is something that will not wipe out any sooner, I’m happy I got out of the relationship that didn’t help me grow even a bit.”

-Kylie about her husband Charlie (names changed).

DISCLAIMER: The image is for representational purposes only and do not represent the real life characters.