I was married to who I thought was my "dream husband" for 10 years. He was tall, dark, handsome, and a Doctor. Not bad huh? I got pregnant immediately and 1 week before I gave birth to our son, he hit me for the first time.

Well, it was the beginning of a very abusive marriage. 10 years of slaps, pushes, shoves, and the occasional black eye or bloody lip. But the worst part of all was the verbal and emotional abuse. You see, he was formally educated and I only had a high school diploma.

After continuous remarks like, "You would be nothing without me", "You are stupid and I am ashamed to introduce you to my collegues", "You embarrass me", and lots more like that, I began to believe him. My confidence and self esteem were at rock bottom. After one very bad fight, with a bloody mouth and nose, black eye, and bruised body, I sat in the floor of my closet crying. I called my one and only friend and she asked me, "how much longer do you want to live like this?". I then called the police and had him arrested.
After 6 months of stalking charges and restraining orders and 2 more incidents of battery, I took my 2 small children and left him, the city, and everything I had behind. I started completely over at 38.

I am now 44 and own a very successful import company and gross about $350,000 - $400,000 per year. I own a 3600 sq.ft. home and my kids and I are very happy. I haven't really had time to find love but I am now stronger and better than I have ever been. Thank you for listening.

-- Penny Dabestani