TRAPPED

Sweet-smelling flowers. Sparkling bottle of champagne. Grilled chicken with sauce. Soothing music... It was just the perfect night I always dreamed of. Angelo and I were head over heels in love with each other. His appearance that night was very captivating. You would say that he came purposely to steal my heart. And yes, he did. I was basking in his love-filled words. They were just artistic and thoughtful. His love was so tender, and the night was unforgettable. He spoke the words that almost every lady dreams of. He lovingly asked me to marry him. I gave him a yes without any form of hesitation. For I wasn't going to lose this dude sent from Heaven, I thought.

Our wedding was the talk of the town. All my friends said I was very lucky. Angelo had resisted the advances of other ladies just to be with me. So yeah, I am indeed lucky. We enjoyed our wedding night and had a wonderful time together. I felt love all over me. I was actually drowning in Angelo's love. And I just didn't want it to stop. The next morning started with a beautiful smile on his face when I woke up next to him. I quickly said a thank you in my heart to God for giving me such an angel.

Our third anniversary was marked by a trip to Ghana, West Africa. We just wanted to connect with the land of our ancestors. We visited historic sites such as: Elmina Castle, Cape Coast Castle and other beautiful sceneries. We interacted with the locals and observed some traditional festivals. It was a very sweet and peaceful moment in this West African country. We flew back to our home country after spending two weeks there.

Back home, life was still lovely. Angelo kept showering me with gifts every single day after work. Sometimes, he would take me out on a surprise date at expensive restaurants. I told him we didn't have to spend so much money, but he was adamant. According to him, life meant nothing without me. And anytime he said that I would feel as if time had stopped for me to enjoy that moment for all eternity.

Disaster struck. Angelo and I had our first biggest fight after three years of marriage. He got very irritated and lifted his hands against me. I had severe bruises after that incident. He passionately apologized and promised never to do that again. I forgave him and we moved on. I decided not to get anyone involved. So we kept it between us. I always lied when my colleagues at work inquired about my bruises. I eventually healed from them, so life was back to normal.

Angelo made a bad business deal and it cost us huge sums of money. When I tried to express my displeasure, he hit me again. This time, I became unconscious and I was rushed to the hospital. He told me not to tell the truth when I gained consciousness. So I lied, again and again. To me, it was never going to happen again because I believed he loved me. But this second happening made me rethink. I could sense my life was in danger and I feared I had married an abuser and a violent man. But Angelo has always been sweet, I thought. But this kept me thinking and very vigilant.

One night after work, I mistakenly locked the door and fell asleep. I was really exhausted, and had a very terrible day. Angelo came knocking on the door incessantly with fury. When I opened it, the first thing I saw was a slap on my face. I stumbled and almost hit my head on the door. I was speechless and couldn't figure out what had happened. In a flash, I thought, "I have married a monster." "Why didn't I see this?", I said to myself. Or maybe I was blinded by love???

For the next one month, Angelo became very abusive. He would hurl insults at me and hit me whenever he was displeased with me. I started questioning all I thought I knew about him. I started thinking back in the past to just figure something out. And oops, the signs were always there. One time when we were dating, he almost beat up a delivery guy for making a wrong delivery. Another time, he verbally abused an old man who mistakenly hit his car slightly in traffic. And other incidents were just flooding my mind. It wasn't long and I realized what I was into. But how come I didn't see all that? I guess I was so in love that I wasn't discerning enough and paying attention to details. "I have married the wrong guy", I thought.

I reported everything to my parents and mentors, and they advised that we separated for a while. They feared I could be murdered one day. So I packed out of the house and moved back in with my parents. Angelo seemed apologetic but I wasn't going to fall for it this time. We separated for about six months and I told him to go seek for help. He's been seeing some counselors and seems to be making progress. But for now, I am trying to put my life back together and see what God has for me.