Stalked by ‘love’
Love is used in so many contexts to give reason to so many misconceptions of what the emotion really is. Some are of the misguided belief that there’s no love without some amount of pain, but love is safe; it does not haunt you.
Below several women share their stories of being stalked, as a means of encouraging other women to run as fast as they can to true love.
AL:
I was being stalked by my husband for years and was constantly beat up. I was convinced that he loved me; hence the reason why he was being so controlling and watchful. I even got defensive when my friends tried to tell me otherwise. Now that I am remarried and I am experiencing something totally different, I know better. I remember the pivotal point for me – he punched me in the stomach and broke two of my ribs once. That was when I decided to leave the marriage. Ladies, being beaten is not love, it is pain.
Latoya:
My ex would drive behind me everywhere I went. My life felt like a prison for years in my early 20s. I remember him pulling a gun on me and threatening me that should I leave him, he would have me murdered. I decided it was time to escape from what he called love and I first cut ties by changing my address and number. I then exposed the situation to the police and to my family and friends. It has been years, and I feel relieved getting out of that toxic relationship.
Tamoya:
My ex would beat me if the chicken wasn’t fried to his liking or his clothes were not ironed to his taste. He would beat me down to nothing. What made it worse was that he would do it in public and no one tried to help me. I decided since no one would help me, even though the abuse was exposed, I had to help myself. One night he hit me and I waited until he fell asleep then ran to my car to escape. He didn’t speak to me again from that. He only texts me about our son.
Keisha:
My ex-husband seriously abused me and was doing so for years. He even locked me out the house one night, and I had to sleep on the cold verandah. He took my phone away so I could call no one. We lived in the hills, so houses were far apart. I had to escape, and the moment he allowed me in the house I started to plan it. I took a plane out of the country and sent the divorce papers some months later. From this I learnt that as a woman you have to take control of your heart and stop allowing it to fool you.
Chantal:
I was tired of being told that he loved me. We fought all the time, and each time I was beaten. I was frustrated so one morning I moved out when he went to work. I also called the police in case he tried to harm me again. I’m sure he got the point.
