He said "I love you." then punched her in the face...

"Damn it!" he said as he punched his fist through the bedroom drywall.
This was the third time in less than a month that he had taken his frustration out on an inanimate object. Where were these sudden outbursts of anger coming from?  When she first met Joe he was so gentle, kind, attentive... She remembered their Genesis. It amused her how meticulous he was. Whenever they strolled through the park, he would actually alter his footsteps to avoid stepping on an insect.
"Girl, he wouldn't hurt a fly." she used to tell her friends. You can imagine her surprise the first time he punched her in the face...
Her intuition told her to run, her emotions suggested she wait.
She STAYED...
It had been such a long time since she had been in a relationship, most men just wanted to play games, but not Joe. He had pursued her like she was the last woman on Earth. An insatiable thirst drew him to her waters. He was generous with his wallet and compliments and the twinge of jealousy he displayed whenever he felt another man was pushing up on his territory turned her on! Men didn't react like that if they didn't care; did they? Large hands caressing the small of her back, moist lips and tender kisses against the nape of her neck...
Most nights they made love into the wee hours of the morning.  He was the man of her dreams.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"I'm sorry, honey. Please open the door."Joe pleaded from outside her bedroom window.
"I've been a jerk. I promise this will be the last time you will ever have to deal with something like this, please let me in."
She remained silent.
"I brought you a gift.. please, baby, we can work this out... I love you!"
Those three words melted her heart. Was he actually crying?
"He isn't that bad, he's just been under a lot of pressure lately." she reasoned.
Her black eye and bruised cheek were just beginning to heal...
 "Baby, please." he said as he wiped the tears from his face.
 "I refuse to live my life without you!"
The fear of loneliness compelled her to action.
"Don't do it!" cried an inner voice as she forced herself off the bed,
"Breathe..." she thought, her racing heart pumping blood much faster than it normally would.
 "We're just going to talk"
Shaking hands and wobbly legs carried her towards the front door.
"Just one more chance, baby, I promise this will be the last time, open the door..."
Nobody is perfect, everyone deserved another chance. This time he really sounded sincere.
"Do you promise this will be the last time, Joe?"
"Yes, honey. I promise. I love you!"
"Don't do it!" the voice in her head pleaded.
"I love you too, baby!" she said as she unlocked the deadbolt and flung open the front door.
"I knew we could work things out, sweetheart!' she smiled.
The autumn night breeze that cooled her tear stained face was instantly replaced by the hot, searing pain of acid as it burned into her skin and melted her flesh.
"I told you this would be the last time you would go through this!" he said as he watched her beauty dissolve.
"Thanks to you, I finally became a man of my word."
She died.
Point to Ponder: Red flags signal danger for a reason; get out while you can.