Destiny Ruiz

I had just turned 17 and I thought I was in love. I had moved in with my abuser who was 34 after only 2 weeks of knowing him . He was a drinker but just like all his family, they liked to drink. I thought I could handle it because he didn't seem like a violent type. When we were dating he was like Prince charming. He bought me anything I needed, I didn't have to work and I thought that was amazing at that time but that quickly changed. We got engaged in January only three weeks after meeting. I begged my mom to sign the papers at the courthouse so I could get married. We were married July 7th 2016. I was still 17 and he had now turned 35. The first month was really good as we were in our honeymoon stage. My family threw a big wedding for us on August 7th of 2016 but that night changed my life forever. He got really wasted. I'd never seen him that drunk and he couldn't comprehend things. He made me sleep on the floor and my dog was on the bed with him as he was confused to who we were. The morning after when I confronted him, I was so upset he slapped me across the face and cut underneath my eye but I didn't call the cops because he said he was sorry and he blamed it on his hangover. I believed him . The first time I called the cops on him was around November during our second year married because he had punched me while I was on the phone with 911 and the dispatcher heard. He was arrested on an account of domestic violence and interfering with an electronic device. You would have thought I learned my lesson then, but no. I dropped the charges. He was picked up by ICE a couple days later and deported. Even though I left him six to seven times, every time he said he was sorry, I believed him. I was so blinded by the thought of love that I bought the ticket to Mexico to live with him. But Mexico just made things way worse as it went from punching me, hitting me, biting me, and even hitting me with a big Corona bottle. My parents felt so desperate. I was two thousand and something miles away from everyone. I finally told him I was going to leave for good and he held a gun up to my head. He hit me with it. That night I called my friend who stayed in Tampico, Mexico and she came and got me when he was sleeping. My parents paid for me to get home and even though he has said sorry so many times I picked my crown up. I deserved to be happy. I am 21 now and I'm with a man who treats me well and has picked up the pieces.. Picture below is Destiny and the man who saved her.