![](https://new-cdn.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/cms_images/variations/1200x800-960442140709.jpg)
Warning: This post discusses domestic violence and contains graphic images.
Simone O'Brien's perpetrator would not take "no" for an answer.
It started with emotional and psychological abuse, their nine-month relationship filled with his lies, stealing and the flinging of insults. It ended with Simone being beaten with a baseball bat to within inches of her life.
Today, Simone is a passionate educator in the domestic and family violence space. Not only that, she is also a survivor. And her story needs to be heard.
In early 2012, Simone was a busy single mum to three kids, aged 15, 12 and 10. Simone had previously split from the children's father and was getting on with life — working a government job, being a parent and considering whether she should dip her toe back into dating.
She decided to join an online dating site.
"I matched with a male real estate agent. To have that job and his real estate license, he would have had to have obtained a police check. I took comfort in that detail," Simone tells Mamamia.
"We hit it off initially. We went on a date, eventually got into a relationship. Then the little red flags grew over nine months."
Watch: Simone O'Brien shares her story with Mamamia. Post continues below.