At some point during the day, the Martina McBride song “Independence Day” popped into my head. For those who don’t know, it’s a song about a woman who gets out of an abusive relationship in a very dramatic and final sort of way. It got me thinking about my own experience with domestic violence.

Fourteen years ago, I entered into a relationship with a guy I didn’t know well (let’s call him Joe). Joe lived on the other side of Texas, and we met while he was in my part of the world. We spent a l...