For her protection, a woman we'll call Sara, does not want her identity known, but does want her story out.
"At first, he was the perfect gentleman, wanted to always be there, wanted to do anything for me," said Sara.
But in a matter of weeks, Sara says her boyfriend turned violent, fast.
"He comes over and just punches me, as hard as he can, in my stomach," said Sara.
Over time, Sara says the abuse escalated, as she searched for a way out.
"I got tired of the hits in the head. There was no point anymore. If you didn't want me around, tell me. Tell me. Don't hit me," said Sara.
Even when victims leave, it can be hard to keep abusers away, but a new law could help that in Oklahoma, along with a dozen other states.
A judge can now order offenders to wear a GPS bracelet.
"(If) the defendant came too close to the victim's home, an alarm would sound," said Donna Mathews, the Associate Director of Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc., also known as DVIS.
Plus, the abuser's every move can be tracked, but even with the new law, DVIS still wants victims to be cautious.
"This would make them feel somewhat safer, but you don't want them to get a false sense of security either," said Mathews.
"If they want to find you, they're going to find you," said Mathews.
We talked to the Tulsa County judge who handles a majority of the protection order cases. She hasn't ordered the device for an offender yet, but says she's glad she has the option to, especially at a time when more women are turning to shelters for help.
"There's violence all the time, and it may well be there is more stress in peoples' homes because of the economy," said Mathews.
Whatever the reason for the increase, Sara says help is out there, and the bruises will heal.
"I've got to go on with my life, and I intend to," she said.
You may call DVIS's 24-hour hotline at 918-7HELPME, or go to their website
www.dvis.org.
