«At first, it seemed that he just cares about me, «Do not walk alone because something might happen to you». But then the guardianship became tougher and everything increased.
He forbad me to communicate with friends and decided everything for me. Once he figured out that I needed to go to Ukraine, and just bought me a ticket –my opinion did not interest him.
I remember when he hit me for the first time. I was preparing dinner in the kitchen and left my phone in the room, so I did not hear his call. In the evening he went home, threw me in the face a bunch of keys and shouted: «Why did you not answer the phone?! I was worried!». Beatings repeated. If I argued, he found justifications to everything, and in the end I had to apologize. I apologized that I was in a bad mood or looked bad and that it provoked him. He called me a fat bitch and was angry because of the fact that I did not wear a mini skirt and heels in our communal apartment.
Then he stopped looking for excuses – he would wake me up by hitting me in the back, because I breathe too loudly in my sleep.
When I decided to leave, he locked me in an apartment for a day and followed my every step – I went to the bathroom under his guard. He beat me in the face and shouted, «You are a beast, and you ruined my life. Don’t go. I love you». I just did not know that a different life was possible. My uncle beat my aunt and a neighbor ran after his wife with an ax – I have witnessed this since childhood.
Now I’m married and I realized that love is not passion, for example, when we say «I cannot live without you» or «you will be mine». Love starts with respect».
