For a very long time, I was able to hide the abuse from my family. Makeup is truly a wonderful invention. It hides and masks everything from the world. I used it to hide the bruises and scars I received from my ever so loving partner Darren. I guess I was used to abuse from a very young age. In fact, my father was known for taking off his belt if any of us kids misbehaved, and he showed us the power of his role as our father very quickly. The type of abuse from Darren was different though, it became more frequent, and I became accustomed to it being a sign of love and affection from him. What else was I meant to think? Each time he struck my face or the rest of my body, there would often be intimate moments where he would beg and plead with me about how sorry he was. At first, I used to believe him, then I became accustomed to him using me as a punch bag.