Griselda's story

I have lived with my partner for four years and have a two year old child who adores her father very much.

It has been a week since I decided that maybe I was meant to be on my own and have a beautiful child that will always love me sincerely. I do not want to put her through this misery again because her father cannot face real love.

I cannot ruin her happiness because of him wanting to throw his life away on gambling. Perhaps my daughter will hate me for this, but I always reassure myself that one day she will understand what life was for me and her. How I had to live all these time in worry, not knowing how to get by the next day. How vulnerable I have been to believe an addictive person over and over again. And you know what kills me the most, is that I still have in my mind – 'what if?'

What more do you want from this person, who has completely lied to me over and over again because he enjoys gambling more than his family. He works shift hours because he lives for gambling, and wants to gamble all of his money.

I know for sure that he will never change and that my life will always be untruthful, unhappy, screaming, shouting at each other... and there comes my daughter in the middle of all these deceitful continuous lies, where no one is willing to offer any help because they believe that I have done this to myself, to my child.

And then I come back to reality ... can I live with this person with his addiction? My heart says NO because she is tired, broken into pieces, destroyed by a person who does not care about anyone's feelings only when he has lost everything and no one cares for him.

How dare he come into our lives thinking that everything will be alright when all he thinks is how he can get away with gambling?

I wish God will give me the strength to overcome this weakness by being strong and never allowing anyone to ruin me like that again. I wish God gives me the inner strength to enjoy life without him. That's all I ask!