The violence was physical and emotional. At the time, I wasn't really aware of what was really happening, but looking at the situation, I know what really happened. She would come back with bruises on her arms and legs, in tears, screaming at my mother, and she looked completely broken. It was clear that she had been physically abused, but until last year I never discussed his previous marriage with her. When I finally had the chance to talk to her, it brought back terrible memories and she was reluctant to talk about it at first. She told me that of course the physical pain hurts, but the emotional abuse was much worse than people could have imagined. He would insult her, question her every move, humiliate her, and control just about everything she did. I asked him why would you stay married to someone who would constantly hurt you and put you down? At first she said it wasn't that bad, it was just little negative comments here and there, but over time the abuse got worse. He would hit her if her dinner wasn't ready on time, if chores weren't done correctly, or even if she was on the phone with my mother rather than talking to her. She would continue to think it was his fault because he always blamed her for everything that went wrong, and when you hear that every day, you start to believe it. It took her a while to realize that what was happening wasn't right and she shouldn't be treated.