After the second time I met my dad’s new girlfriend, I refused to meet her again. Dad thought that was being dramatic. Until he met me straight from her house with two black eyes and a broken limb.

**Trigger warning: domestic abuse.**<br><br>It was my first semester of college and I hadn’t been back home over break in a few months when I went back for Thanksgiving. That’s when I met my dad’s new girlfriend, Rachel. She was a little awkward; she had trouble speaking to people and seemed very shy. I thought maybe she was just a little nervous to meet me, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt.<br><br>Fast forward to Christmas break. I planned to stay at my grandmas, but she was sick. I work full time as a teaching assistant for a special needs classroom while in school, and I thought it would be a good idea to go home and spend time with my dad and Rachel. I was in my bedroom getting my stuff prepared to be gone for the next month or so when I heard a strange noise coming from the living room. I work with children with disabilities and I know what it sounds like when someone is scared or in pain, and that’s what I heard. <br><br>I walked into the living room and immediately started to cry when I saw what was happening. Rachel was on the ground with bruises on her face and marks imprinted into her skin from being dragged. My dad was standing over her, yelling at her. He asked me what I was doing there and then turned his anger on me. Rachel looked over at me and started to cry as well. He started to hit me, and I think I passed out. <br><br>The next thing I remember is being in Rachel’s car, driving to the hospital. We didn’t say a word to each other the entire time and I assumed she was still upset about what happened. When we got to the hospital, Rachel told them that we had just been in an accident and she didn’t want to give my dad’s name out. She held my hand the entire time we were there, until my grandma came and picked me up. When my grandma asked her what happened, she repeated the story about the accident to her as well. <br><br>When we got back to my grandmas house, my grandma asked me if I was okay and I broke down crying. I told her everything that happened, including what I saw when I first walked into the room. My grandma called the police and filed a report, and then she called my dad and told him to stay the hell away. <br><br>I never saw my dad again. <br><br>I never went back to my childhood home again, either. And for the rest of my life, I will never forget the girl who lied to get me out of there.