I used to be my attacker’s property, he manipulated me to the point where I almost lost everything and everyone in my life. The day I walked out of this relationship was one of the best days of my life. Although, that was when he snapped.
When he realized he lost all control over me and wasn’t gaining it back this day — October 21, 2017 — I truly believe that was what threw him over the edge. He was always great at getting in my head, but this time, I no longer allowed it.
I grew up in a home with a single mother that always put me before a man, so I was very naive when it came to them. I had no idea what abuse was until I physically and emotionally dealt with it first hand from Seth.
I was 17 when I began dating Seth Fleury, and he was 21. From the very beginning, there were many signs that I needed to be long gone but this was my very first serious relationship.
Many people ask why I stayed if it was so bad, but what they don’t know is that it wasn’t always bad. We had some very good times because when he was good, he was great, but when he was bad, he became my nightmare.
Think about it, some of you may have a daughter or used to be this girl…
As a naive 17-year-old girl, who is now with her first boyfriend, who is older, and this was her first ‘love’ and the first one she thought loved her. Of course, she wanted to pursue him no matter what.
I always thought that if you just gave up when it got bad then that truly means you don’t love them but there comes a point where you don’t ‘give up’ but you have to get out because your life may depend on it.
What they also don’t know is that many times I tried to get out but when I did, it only got worse for me. But finally I gained the courage to say I was done and stood firm with my decision.
Just like his family, many times, I protected Seth. But this time he has done something that there is absolutely no excuse for and needs to face the consequences before the next girl faces something worse than what I did.
We now are present-day October 18, 2018. This is a day I should be sitting in a college classroom preparing for a test or out on the field learning new things. But instead, I am at a courthouse having to explain the impact that someone else’s actions had on me.
