Day one.

The decision to leave wasn't one I mulled over, nor did it occur on the worst day of the relationship.

I was standing in our bathroom, trying not to cry after spending the last 45 minutes doing just that as he screamed at me in front of our daughter. In that moment he pushed me, something so minor compared to other things he'd done that even now I have to fight the urge to say, "It was only a push, but..."

In that moment, the realization hit that choosing to stay would not only destroy me, it would send the message to our children that this is the way a man treats a woman, this is what you should expect from the man you love and it's okay.

It's absolutely not okay, for any reason.

This is my chronicle of starting over, reclaiming my life and moving forward.