There is nothing more painful than being with someone who claims to love you, yet mistreats you—hitting you, insulting you, and making you believe that everything is your fault. For more than two years, I normalized this situation without realizing it, convincing myself that I could change him, that I could help him become a better person.
Each time he attacked me, I cried silently and wished he would just disappear. The emotional pain was unbearable. But today, I know I deserve love, respect, and peace.
Seven months ago, I suffered my last physical assault. Disoriented and in shock from the beating, I finally found the strength to ask for help. If you are experiencing violence, please—seek support. I filed a police report—even though the justice system can often feel slow and indifferent—and I went to my local Gender Policy Office. There, I received the support I needed to begin rebuilding my life and reclaiming my dignity, both as a woman and as a human being.
The road to healing is not easy. It is filled with challenges, grief, and painful changes. But we all deserve happiness. It's normal to feel afraid, to mourn what we've lost, and to face uncertainty. Reaching out for help is the first and most powerful step toward recovery.
I carry no hatred in my heart. I once loved him. And I genuinely hope that wherever he is, he has found peace—and has learned how to truly value and respect the person beside him.
More than anything, I hope that no one else ever has to go through what I endured.
"I want to speak to all those who are experiencing domestic abuse: there is always light and hope." —Lorena Gallo
Introduction
His hands her a bouquet of roses. He whispers, I'm sorry. It'll never happen again. For a moment, she wants to believe him.
So many women do. They cling to flowers and apologies, trying to erase the bruises, the humiliation, the unspeakable violence—even rape. But what they don't realize is that after the so-called "honeymoon phase," the cycle often begins again—this time darker, crueler, more dangerous.
Some women reach a point where leaving seems impossible. Fear paralyzes them. Emotionally numb, they feel as though a part of them has already died.
At the first red flag, women must walk away and report their abuser—before it's too late. Because flowers can't silence fists. Apologies can't erase terror. And empty promises too often end in tragedy—a death no one saw coming.
Yet not all stories end that way.
Some women escape in time. Some survive—and fight back. One of them is Lorena Gallo, the ex-wife of John Bobbitt. After years of beatings, humiliation, and rape, Lorena took matters into her own hands and, in an act of desperate liberation, severed her husband's penis.
Lorena Gallo is, without question, my greatest source of inspiration—and proof that there is always light, and hope.