They Told Me To “Stay” While My Husband Beat Me — Depressed Woman Shares.

When I got married, I thought I had found happiness. People kept telling me I was lucky, that my husband was a good man. On my wedding day, I danced with joy, believing I was walking into a beautiful future. But I didn’t know I was walking into pain.

The first slap shocked me. It came because I asked him why he came home late. Just a simple question. That night, I cried and told myself it was a mistake. But it wasn’t. From then, the beating became part of my life.

He beat me for food, for speaking, for asking for money, even when NEPA took light. Sometimes I would just be sitting, and his anger would find me. I started to live in fear, never knowing what would make him explode. My body carried the marks, but my soul carried heavier scars.
The worst part was my family. Anytime I ran to them, crying and begging for help, they told me to endure.

My mother would say, “Marriage is not sweet all the time. A woman must be patient.” My father would ask, “Do you want to disgrace us? Go back to your husband’s house.” Nobody saw my pain. Nobody cared.

I went back, over and over, because I thought maybe they were right. Maybe I wasn’t patient enough. Maybe one day he would change. I prayed, I fasted, I kept quiet. But nothing changed. Instead, it got worse.

The day that changed everything, he beat me until I fainted. My children were screaming and crying. When I woke up the next morning, I saw the fear in their eyes. That was when I realized if I don’t leave, my children will grow up thinking this is normal. And I cannot allow that.

So I left. I packed what I could carry, took my children, and walked away. I had nothing. People called me names. Some said I was rebellious. Others said I had failed in marriage. But I didn’t fail. I survived.

Marriage is not supposed to be endured like a prison. Marriage is not supposed to kill you. In this Nigeria, too many women are told to “endure” until they die. I refused. I chose life.

Do you think Nigerian families are guilty of making women stay in abusive marriages by telling them to “endure”? Drop your thoughts someone out there needs to hear them.