A Reddit user is going viral after sharing how she left her husband of 16 years following an affair and escalating domestic violence against her and her children. In her post on r/GirlDinnerDiaries, she explained that after she threatened to tell his Navy command, things got worse. She obtained a protective order and moved across the country with her kids while he was deployed and under Navy investigation.
The post pulled in over 8,800 upvotes and 342 comments, and the comment section became its own story. Person after person shared their experience of leaving abusive relationships, including one commenter who wrote,“I also moved far away. Took 7 years for me to leave.”Her message to anyone in a similar spot:“There is peace, joy, freedom and safety on the other side.”
Two months after leaving, she says her children seem less stressed and her family has found more peace and freedom. Stories like this one show both how hard leaving can be and how many people are navigating the same road. If this resonates with you, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7. Have you or someone you know ever found the courage to start over?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.