A 27-year-old single mom thought she had found true love, but was in for a rude awakening.
Kelsie Williams met 24-year-old Nathan Edwards online, but after just two months of dating, their relationship quickly turned violent. Kelsie realized she and her 7-year-old son were in great danger.
Edwards would often hit Kelsie when things didn't go his way or she "disappointed" him. Kelsie recalls one time she went to the grocery store but didn't find what Edwards wanted. When she arrived back home, he punched her in the head and told her to beat it.
One day, she brushed his shoulder by accident and he told her not to move, saying he was going to hit her but she wouldn't "know when it's coming." Kelsie said, "I did sit there, shaking, waiting for the blow... It was a full 45 minutes before he punched me."
Still, the two stayed in the relationship, despite Kelsie's mother trying to convince her to leave.
Just months later, Edwards was taken by the police to prison for slashing Kelsie's face with a knife while they were on vacation. Kelsie had to go to the hospital to get stitches.
From prison, Edwards wrote a letter in which he proposed to Kelsie. She said yes. But eventually, one friend was able to get through to Kelsie.
"Look at what he's doing to you. He's destroying you and you can't see it," she told her.
And Kelsie listened. She ended the engagement with Edwards over email and put together a short movie on Facebook in which she explained the abuse she endured. It got 425,000 views.
Kelsie says that since the video went on Facebook, she hasn't heard from Nathan. Instead, she heard from numbers of women who have ever been abused just like her. Kelsie's message is a powerful one,
I told them, "No one can tell you when to leave. You'll find the strength only when you're ready."
Since then, Kelsie has started her own business and is moving elsewhere. She says her scars are a reminder to never go back to Edwards.
Hopefully, victims of domestic abuse can find comfort in Kelsie's unfortunate story. Although it took her a long time to leave, the fact that matters is that she did. And that's what saved her life.
Citations: Woman reveals she was so besotted by her violent boyfriend she agreed to marry him - even though he was in jail for slashing her face with a knife Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3651256/Woman-reveals-besotted-violent-boyfriend-agreed-marry-him.html#ixzz4CEMwxyxb Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook (Daily Mail)
