The Beginning of a Big Lie

Witty. Outgoing. Flirty. Fun.

That was me two years ago. Reserved. Cautious. Self-conscious. Anxious. That’s been me for a while.I wasn’t always quite that way. Breaking up with my boyfriend caused that change. He took something from me that I’ll never get back: my health.But like most relationships, he started off great. He got me. I understood him. Things were simple. All we wanted to do was live life to the fullest together.I think my story of abuse is the first of its kind for HER even though I know it’s extremely prevalent. I hope that by writing my story, more women can share theirs, because it happens so much more than we realize. I really loved my ex, but he was a liar, and his lies ended up wrecking my body. He gave me an STD — or an STI, technically — that caused me to stay with him way longer than I should have. I’ll have this virus for the rest of my life. It won’t ever go away. I’m legally obligated to let any future partners know that I have it. But he and I had a “sex talk.” We discussed birth control and if we’d been tested. He said he was clear. I trusted him. According to my high school health class, I took all the right steps. What else could I have done?Nothing. There’s literally nothing else I could have done. And that’s been hard. Putting all the blame on him isn’t the hard part. Shifting it away from me is.