I met Jake in the springtime . . .

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So begins Cristina’s story, a story of love and marriage, but also abuse and violence. Cristina met Jake when she was on the rebound, not looking for anything serious. And he seemed like the perfect guy: he was attractive and confident, he had a solid job, and he didn’t hide the fact that he was interested in her. Before she knew it, they were married, talking about kids, settling down.

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The first time he hit her, she was shocked. She’d been getting ready for work, talking about the day ahead . . . He sent flowers, apologized, promised it would never happen again. But it did. It happened again. And again.​​