The pursuit of true love can be blinding. As long as people believe that loving someone no matter how toxic the relationship they are in is, they will end up hurt. Being with someone who suffocates your free will and treats you as their possession can contaminate your way to happiness and destroy your self-esteem.
If you believe your relationship doesn’t make you content, then it might be the time to move on. However, sometimes letting go is not that easy because the partner might be abusive and violent, and threats to hurt you if you leave them.
Unfortunately, many young people find themselves in abusive relationships and experience real nightmare. One of them is Kayla Holmes whose life turned upside down after the life threatening abuse she suffered from now her ex-boyfriend. Raised by a single mother, Kayla never had the chance to see how a relationship between a couple should be like so when she started dating Seth Aaron Fleury, who was 21 at the time, she didn’t know what they had was sort of broken. The naive 17-year-old Kayla was offered promises from her loved one that he will change and become a better person, but the only thing she got was black eyes, a broken nose, and a missing body part.
Kayla shares with Love What Matters what really happened on that October 17, 2017. A day she will never forget.
‘”I remember the look of terror on the man’s face that just so happened to save my life this day. As well as the sweet elderly lady that had to walk out of her home to see such tragedy occurring, but yet was so kind to try to help me and keep me comforted until further help arrived.”
Kayla finally realized she had to step away from the relationship and she recalls the day she went to visit Seth for one last time. He was certain Kayla will change her mind and get back to him, but once he realized he was wrong he did something unthinkable. People were left wondering how could there be someone so cruel like Seth.
He tried to kiss her, and when Kayla attempted to run away, the monster of a boyfriend bit off huge part of her bottom lip.
‘”Sitting in a puddle of my own blood with the majority of my lip laying on my leg, my whole mouth on fire, confused and terrified, I didn’t know how I could ever show my face again. At that point, honestly wishing that those very seconds would just be my last – I wanted to give up for good.”
Many people judged Kayla for not putting an end to the relationship earlier, not being aware that when you find yourself in a situation like that you just hope things will change for the better, when they only change for the worse. She admits he could be a nice guy occasionally.
‘”He claimed he was going to leave his mark on me for my next boyfriend. I had a scar wrapping from cheek to cheek, now known as the ‘girl that had her lip bitten off.'”
After the incident, Kayla was rushed to the hospital, but reattaching her lip was impossible because it was no longer viable, so they cut around her cheeks in order to pull together whatever was left of the bottom lip leaving her with a huge scar.
Life wasn’t easy for this young lady after that, until the moment she stopped blaming herself for what happened to her.
‘”I used to be my attacker’s property, he manipulated me to the point where I almost lost everything and everyone in my life. The day I walked out of this relationship was one of the best days of my life. Although, that was when he snapped. When he realized he lost all control over me and wasn’t gaining it back this day – October 21st, 2017 – I truly believe that was what threw him over the edge. He was always great at getting in my head, but this time, I no longer allowed it.”
On October 18th, almost a year to the date that her attack occurred, Kayla finally got closure when justice was served. Judge Robin N. Stilwell sentenced Seth to 12 years in prison for “battery of a high and aggravated nature” at the Greenville County Courthouse in South Carolina.
Kayla doesn’t see herself as a victim any longer, but as a survivor, and her scars only testify what she’s been through.
‘”I will continue to wear my scars as wings and I will continue to Stay Kind and Stay Strong. And I will Rise Above this. No longer a victim, but a Survivor.”
We believe Kayla is an example of how we should move on whenever something terrible happens to us. She is a brave young lady who endured a lot, but still finds the happiness in little things in life.