Stop, my dear. Take a look in the mirror. These bruises are not love. Nor is your fear of standing too close to him. Nor is your flinch when his voice gets too loud, or when his shadow lingers around the corner of the kitchen. You're hesitant to say the wrong things because with them come consequences. You're walking on egg shells, every second, every day. When those egg shells crack, he will too, and you will suffer due to his bad-tempered self.

"What happened?" friends will ask, while pointing out the subtle scratches down your face; the bite marks sprawled across your arm; the black and blue hindering your rosy complexion.

"Accident" will become your lip's new favorite word. And 'liar' will shine splashed across your forehead like stains of blood if you let this go on too long.

But the scars don't need to show. For fowl words cut deeper than any steak knife. He'll make you feel worthless, insane, and incompetent. You'll question why you're still here. He'll make you wish you weren't. "You piece of shit." It echoes faster in your head than your heartbeat when he comes home angry.

You don't want to stay, you really don't want to stay, but leaving is not a plausible option. The things he is capable of; the ways he could haunt you. It's absolutely terrifying and sickening and wrong. I know it's so hard to recognize from your position.

"But he loves me."

This isn't love.

"He cares about me."

So he chooses hurt over protection?

"He's just messing around."

You're his punching bag, and that's all you'll ever be.

"He's going to change."

Will it ever? Will you wake up one day with a mind cleared from the past, unaware of the pain and suffering he's caused at a time you should be the happiest. No. The answer is no. You can forgive, day after day, but you will never forget.

Partner abuse is a topic that should be talked about way more than it's concealed. Four in five victims of this abuse are women. Two to four million women are abused in America every year. Every nine seconds a woman is mistreated. This means in the time it took you to read this sentence and the previous, a woman fell victim to another attack. It has been noted that one in every three adolescents is a victim of physical, emotional, verbal or sexual abuse (perpetrated by their dating partner). Statistics further show that forty-three percent of college women admit to being a part of a violent relationship. Females ages 18 to 24, and ages 25 to 34 experience the highest, most appalling rates of intimate partner violence. Don't question why, think about how. How can you help?

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Donate what you can and participate where you can, but don't stop there. Inform yourself of the warning signs. Look out for friends in need. Utilize the internet. Seek resources. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE or visit their website http://www.thehotline.org/ immediately!!

This isn't love, but through our actions and care we will attempt to show you what is.