Then, Julie explained that it’s because these things tend to happen when no one is looking. “I’m not posting this for attention, I have LIVED this,” she wrote. She explained that when she left her abusive husband, everyone was surprised and thought she was giving up on her marriage. But, she realized that the safety of herself and her daughter were more important. She also said he shoved her, took all of the phones so she couldn’t call the cops, punched holes in their walls and door, purposely slammed her hand in the door, and locked her outside in the middle of winter. “Have you went to bed at night, locked your bedroom door and still refused to sleep with your back facing the door in case somehow he broke in and you wouldn’t have enough time to react?” Julie wrote. “That’s not love.” Her post has since received more than 116,000 reactions, more than 23,000 comments, and been shared more than 246,000 times. “At the end of the day, no matter how severe your story is or not, abuse is abuse and I think it’s so important for women to be able to recognize it,” she says. “Now looking back on it, it’s a lot easier. My eyes are opened a lot more and I can see that I was being abused, and I just think it’s important for women to know that.” We think it was incredibly brave that Julie shared her story and we’re sure she has inspired so many others. If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic abuse, then contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.
