She had been in a relationship with Kyle for three and a half years. It started out innocently enough, but as time went on, he became increasingly possessive and controlling, causing her to feel insecure about herself. The one night when she attempted to stand up for herself, he flew into a rage, cursing at her and throwing objects at her, but then just as quickly, his rage dissipated and his demeanor changed back into the loving and thoughtful man she had fallen in love with initially. But innocuous, little things, such as a handsome waiter being attentive towards her, or joking around with her male next door neighbor, caused his hair-trigger temper to burst into flames and the altercations became physical, with beatings, taunts and threats. She became frightened and withdrawn to the point that her social life suffered--and her friends and family noticed. They urged her to break it off with him before things spiraled completely out of control, but she was too afraid to try and break the viselike grip he had on her entire existence. The straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, was the day when her neighbor, stepping outside into the hallway, saw him rattling the lock to her apartment, loudly demanding to be let in. The neighbor shot him an annoyed look and told him to knock it off as it was 5:30am and people on the floor were still asleep. Kyle's rage suddenly boiled over and he began pummeling the neighbor with his fists. The commotion woke her up and she ran out into the hallway. Aghast, she quickly picked up her cell phone to call the police, who responded within minutes and took Kyle into custody. But after bonding out on his own recognizance, he showed up AGAIN at her apartment with roses, professing absolute contrition and promising to never again hurt or intimidate her. She told him, "It's OVER! I'm DONE with you--now leave!" Domestic violence is real. Don't be a victim. Speak up and stand up for yourself because you're worth it.