A Nigerian woman, Chidindu Elijah, has opened up about the alleged domestic violence she endured in her marriage and the incident that gave her the courage to walk away.
The mother of three shared her story in a Facebook post on Saturday, August 22, 2026, on what would have been her 18th wedding anniversary.
According to Chidindu, she chose to celebrate the day with her children, who are her joy givers and reason for her happiness.
Sharing a photo of her battered face, she said watching her children cry as her ex-husband allegedly assaulted her made her choose herself.
“Today is supposed to be my 18 yrs marriage anniversary and have decided to celebrate it with my children, my Joy givers, and lovelies. They are d reason am happy,” she wrote.
“The second picture attached to this post is just to show you the level of domestic violence I went through all because of marriage.
“On that fateful day I watched my children cry and broken. That was the day I choose myself and my children.
“2021 is a year I will never forget. The woman in this picture was hurting—not just physically, but deep inside her heart. The person I trusted, the person I loved, the person I believed would protect me, became the person who caused me the deepest pain.
“I gave my husband my love, my loyalty, my trust, and so much of myself. I believed in our marriage. I held on even when things were difficult because I thought love meant fighting for the person you chose.
“But you betrayed something much deeper than my trust—you betrayed my heart.
“The pain you caused me changed something inside me. I can forgive one day for my own peace, but forgiveness does not mean I have to forget, and it does not mean I have to love you the way I once did.
“I loved you with a pure heart, but you broke that heart in ways I never imagined. And today, I have to be honest with myself: I can’t love you anymore.
“You didn’t just hurt my body that day. You wounded the love I had for you. When I was still healing, You did the worse that made me to become a single mother, although that woman cried, suffered, and felt broken, she survived.
“Today, I choose myself. I choose my peace. I choose my dignity. And I choose to believe that my life can still be beautiful beyond the pain.
“Some wounds heal, but some betrayals permanently change the way you love the person who caused them.
#domesticviolencesurvior
#mychildrenmypriority
#ChoosePeace.”
