KOTA BHARU - Her dream to attain happiness with her husband through a second marriage shattered when her life turned into a living hell as she becomes a victim of domestic violence.
For 19 years, the 50-year old woman who only wanted to be known as Nurul had to suffer due to her husband’s jealousy issue.
Nurul lamented that she would frequently sustain injuries, wounds and bruises on her face and all over her body after being beaten up by her husband who was five years older than her.
The mother of four said she realised that her husband became hot-tempered during the fourth year of their marriage.
"My husband is jealous and would scold me if I was unable to pick up his calls or when I talk to his friends. One mistake and he would slap and kick me.
"He treated me like trash. He would beat me up, curse at me in front of everyone including his family. He rarely gave me nafkah (financial support)," she told Sinar Harian.
She said although her heart had already been broken into pieces, she continued to stay strong for her children.
"As a wife, even though this happened, I always treated my husband as best as possible. Took care of his meals, his clothes and bed.
"I would still sleep with him even though I feel nothing for him anymore.
"Until one day I decided to run away and return to my family's house," she said.
Since then, she said she never returned to her husband's home at Pintu Geng and stayed with her family for three years before the man pronounced the divorce a month before he died.
Meanwhile, in Ipoh, another mother of four who only wanted to be known as Wahida, 34, said the marriage she built in the name of love was destroyed due to her hot-tempered husband.
The woman from Bagan Serai said she became her husband's punching bag and would be beaten up mercilessly until she became frightened of the man and traumatised.
She said at the beginning she hoped that her husband would change, but it did not happen which made her determined to leave the relationship.
"His behaviour started to change after the birth of our second child. Even the slightest mistake could cause him to hit me and kick me and this became a daily routine for him.
"There was a time when my head hurt (due to the abuse) to the point that I was unable to get up, but I did not tell anyone about it because I did not want my family to worry about me," she said.
Throughout their marriage, she said her husband did not have a fixed income and was involved in unhealthy activities.
Her husband's behaviour, she said had also caused their family's relationship to fall apart.
"Ten years is enough, as soon as I gave birth to my fourth child, I decided that I did not want to live with him anymore.
"With both families' blessings and support, we eventually separated in 2017. He begged me to stay but my heart did not feel anything for him anymore," she said.
Wahida who currently ran a small business said she is now happily married and hoped that the second marriage would bring happiness to her life.