Nobody wants to talk about this stuff, but I do.

Some believe it is too personal to share, but I don't.

I loved you with all I ever had. You hurt me more than you could ever imagine.

You wounded me with words — then threats — then physical assault.

Something I never thought you'd do — you did.

The very day before you pushed me and dragged me across the floor by my ankle, I said,

"He'd never lay a hand on me."

Funny how life works.

I am four years older now.

I want to say I am fully recovered, and in a sense, I am.

In another, I will never fully heal.

Does any woman ever from something like this?

We tend to suppress it as time goes on, pretending it never happened.

But then, one day, you're drunk in a bar.

An acquaintance asks you, "what happened there?"

The words flow out of your mouth, freely, casually —

You put it as simply as you would when talking about what you had for breakfast.

"The man I loved became physically abusive."

You heard about those stories before.

You never thought it'd happen to you.

To hear those words come out of your own mouth is something you don't just settle into.

Every time it's said, we are forced to relive it.

We experience it again just as we did the first time it happened,

And we act like it doesn't bother us anymore.

You?

You were able to move on.

You started going to church,

You said you changed,

And you took another woman to be yours.

You say you love her,

But all I do is wonder how long until you hit her, too.

To the man who abused me in more ways than one,

Let me be the last woman you hurt.

Maybe you'll go to prison,

Maybe you'll get away with this for the rest of your life.

Wherever your life takes you,

I only ask one thing...

Don't hurt another woman the way you hurt me.

Author's note: To any woman experiencing a domestic violence situation or relationship, please get out while you can and get help. You don't deserve this. You deserve love. To any woman in the healing process — I am with you, and we are strong.