This story of my life is written to help anyone who has been in an abusive relationship where family and friends are telling you to get out. I want you to understand that I understand how you feel. I understand when you say that you still love a person even though they abuse you mentally and/or physically. I understand why you stay in the marriage even though you know you should leave. I understand when you want to take your children and kill them along with yourself. I have been there. But I am not there any longer. Looking back at my marriage, I see how wrong I was to stay in a place that was not safe for my family. I can’t go back and change anything. I feel I did the best I could at the time. I can’t change the past, but I can learn from it. And I can share my experience with you.