I was a happy-go-lucky girl. I was full of dreams and loved myself. My parents were extremely proud of me and my achievements. Unlike many other Indian parents, my parents wanted me to study further and do well professionally. 

I wanted to get some work experience before heading out for college again so I took up a job. The job made me financially independent and that feeling made me want to keep earning more and more and so, post graduation took a backseat. 

One day I got an invite to attend a wedding; I happily dressed up and went, completely unaware of the fact that love will come back to me that night. I fell in love with my friend’s cousin. It was love at first sight!

In a couple of months we got into a relationship. It was like a fairy tale. He gave me so many gifts and surprises that I didn't even notice that we didn’t have much in common. I didn’t ask him about his education, his past or even his job. The fact that he was 8 years older didn’t seem like an issue either.

After a lot of disagreements and melodrama we finally got married. That’s when reality hit me.

Everything beautiful about the relationship was in the past, the reality was completely different. Slowly I realized that things are much worse than I had thought. His alcohol intake kept increasing. He started verbally and physically abusing.

I wish I had taken a step back when he slapped me for the first time. I really wish I had. This physical and verbal abuse became a daily affair. It has been 5 years now, and I am still taking it from him because I didn’t stop him when he started.

I had lost my faith and trust in him long time ago and now I have lost my self-respect too. 

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