Hello. My name is Maurice. I am 22 and my girlfriend is 20. I love her more than I can explain? We live together now, but she does not sleep in my room with me. I have the feeling she?s afraid of me and I can understand why.
In high school, she dated my brother. He had a habit of getting mad over simple things and taking his anger out on her. This is how I met her. She started staying at the house and ?spending the night with him? At the start she only came down the stairs with a few bruises on her arms and told my mother and I she was fine. I soon became close friends with her and my brother didn't?t like it so? He began locking the door at night so I couldn?t come in when I heard the bangs. Over the months of their relationship it got worse. I was often the one who drove her to the hospital or home. And at the rare times she would stay in my room.
Finally, after cheating on her for the last time she left him and went on to be closer friends to me. My brother moved and I still wonder why she stayed with him so long. She won?t tell me?
I have heart problems and have recovered mostly from heart surgery. She blames herself for my bad heart. She tells herself that it was her fault and if we weren?t always fighting (and we rarely do) than I wouldn?t have it as bad as this. She has gone to counseling. It doesn't?t help much.
All I want to do is show her I love her and that she shouldn?t flinch when I touch her, but she still does. I really don?t know what to do? Can anyone help?

