(4/4) “She left without telling me. I came back from a dentist...

(4/4) “She left without telling me. I came back from a dentist appointment and everyone was gone. I went into a deep depression. My friend had to move in with me to keep me from killing myself. She wasn’t allowed to take my kids like that. The court issued a summons, but her father got a lawyer and they took out an order of protection against me. I’m not a bad man. I’m not a bad father. She knows I love my kids. She can’t look me in the eye and tell me that I’m an abusive man. I would never hurt her. But there was something that happened. We had an argument a week before she left. I got so mad and stressed that I grabbed a bat and started smacking the door and the wall. She came out of the kitchen and she caught me in that moment. She was so scared. I’ll never forget the look of terror in her eyes. I immediately dropped the bat. I said ‘I’m so sorry babe,’ but she didn’t want me to talk to her or touch her. It took four days for her to let me kiss her again. Then a few days later she was gone. I haven’t seen my family for a year. I know it was wrong. I’m sorry. But I’d never hurt her or the kids, I promise. I was only hurting the wall.”