Life presents each of us with opportunities that require choices. Some choices can have a positive outcome. Others, unfortunately, can cause great pain. When Ellen Margel chose to marry Sean Roberts, a gregarious and successful entrepreneur, she never could have predicted the journey she would eventually take through hell and back. Margel was happy with her career as a teacher but even so, she felt that something was missing—a husband and family. She was initially flattered by his charming ways and chose to overlook his flaws. All too soon, she was making excuses for his unpredictable behavior. In this memoir, Margel narrates a poignant story that discloses how a marriage that seemed happy at first slowly turned into a roller coaster ride of emotional abuse and addiction. She reveals how, after five years of marriage, she summoned the courage to leave Sean and face her new, horrific discovery—that the man she loved had been sexually abusing their toddler daughter. Margel’s story provides an eye-opening glimpse into what it is like to live with an alcoholic and his volatile mood swings. Loving and Leaving an Abuser shares an unforgettable story of how one woman survived an abusive relationship and chose to take the road back to a safe and peaceful life.