For all the ladies out there in abusive relationships

IT CAN BE BETTER. I was in an abusive relationship for five years. He choked me, punched me, put me down. He'd threaten to commit suicide if I left. He told me I couldn't make it without him. He told me he was all I'd ever have. I stayed because He wouldn't put his hands on me very often, so I thought I'd be okay. But let me tell you, the last time he put his hands on me I lost all affection for him, even if I didn't know it. Took me a year and a half to notice how unhappy I was. I thought it was normal. I mean he was my high school sweetheart, been together since I was 17. At 21, he'd been my best friend for so long, how could I just leave? Leaving was one of the scariest things I've ever done. Coming home and telling him I didn't love him anymore, and there was nothing he could do. I wondered if I was making a mistake.. and I wondered that for a long time...Til I found what I'd been looking for. I found what love really is. To be with someone you KNOW will never lay a malicious hand on you. To be with someone who can make you smile no matter what, and you know will always be there. And especially now that we have a little boy on the way, I look back now and think what if I had stayed? I'd be missing all this happiness. So girls who feel like they're stuck, I promise you you're not. You CAN live without him. Even if it's a struggle financially for a little while, even if it gets lonely, I promise it's so worth it! Your true prince is out there ❤️