Laurissa, many people on here have been where you are now and have learned the hard or the easy way that this is not a type of relationship that will ever work long term or will ever be safe! Everything you have said, every reason you have given to stay has heard before. Please, please listen to what people are saying, before it is too late and you find yourself in hospital fighting for your life, or worse! A relationship that is truly worth keeping, has a chance of lasting and being a happy one involves two people who have a great deal of respect for each other, an extremely strong friendship and a deep seated love. Together these three vital features are what in a crisis prevents partners from being physically violent to one another. Without these three features there is no chance of a strong, lasting, honest relationship. Sometimes people believe they have these three features, when in reality what they may have is a dependency (on money (i.e. rent) or an emotional and sexual satisfaction. They have a fear of being without a partner or having to live alone and sometimes people are not actually in love with their partner, but in love with “being in love”. This isn't always an easy thing to recognise in oneself. These things can cloud our vision of what is good for us and what is worth pursuing. Life is too short and so living with the aim of making every moment count as a positive one is important. Please don’t waste your life on someone who is capable of being violent towards you or someone you could yourself be violent to. Many people on her understand what you have been through, because they have been there themselves. Myself included, many years ago. Please, don’t dismiss what they are advising, but listen and learn from their experiences. It would be dreadful if history repeated itself. Take care!