Just a few examples of how he treats me: When my daughter was about 7 months old, he insisted we come to the state he was working in. It was winter and there was snow. He has a travel RV and it was parked at an empty campsite...about 2 blocks from a prison. He was drinking and started not picking everything about me. The yelling woke my daughter and I went over and picked her up. I was pacing with her and he walked up and slung the door open and before I could react he physically kicked me in the back out the door into the snow. Then he locked the door. My daughter was in only a diaper; I was in only panties and a long t-shirt. He sat at the table with the blinds half open, just watching us. I tried to get in my car, but he had the keys and locked it. I is found a tarp in the bed of his truck and after putting my daughter under my shirt, wrapped us both in the tarp like a burrito. We spent the night in the bed of his truck. The next morning, I had dozed off a little, he pulled me out of his truck by my hair onto the ground...then he drove off to work. He left the RV unlocked so we went inside, but he took my keys with him.

Another time, I was pregnant with my youngest (now about to turn 3). He came in from work and wanted to have sex. I said no because is been vomiting all day (I had hyperemisis) and didn't feel good. I turned away from him and started walking away. He shoved me from behind. I instinctively reached my hand out to break my fall. It inadvertently hit his arm. He yelled at me and before I knew it I was against the wall with his hand around my throat. He lifted me off the ground, one handed, and chocked me until I passed out. As I regained consciousness, I could feel his weight on top of me and he had my face pushed into the floor...it didn't take long for him to get what he wanted. As he stood up, pulling his pants up, he told me I don't EVER tell him 'No', and went to watch tv. I got myself up and took a shower.

These are just a couple of events. There's been less dramatic things happen (just yelling or, sometimes worse, whispered threats right in my ear) and worse things have happened. These events fall somewhere in the middle.

THIS is the kind of man my husband is. This was going on before marriage (it got much worse after). By the time he decided he was going to marry me...I was too ashamed and afraid to tell him no. When others were around he put on an act of a loving partner, and everyone gushed about how great he was and how stupid I'd be to let him get away. No one knew what was going on behind closed doors. Most people still don't.