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00:00A heartbroken young woman avoids love at all costs.
00:07I grabbed my eyes out. My heart was hurting.
00:10My name is Steve.
00:11Until a smooth-talking playboy breaks through her defenses.
00:15A lot of girls like Steve. A lot of them.
00:18But her Prince Charming isn't what he seems.
00:21He had a reputation for being a cheater, a liar, abusive.
00:26When a well of bitter secrets is unsealed, the relationship becomes a ticking time bomb.
00:35I'm not playing this time. I can't get them off. I panic.
00:46Not all fairy tales have happy endings.
00:50When love goes wrong, a woman can do the unthinkable.
00:56Spring 1998, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
01:08Sixteen-year-old Charisse Gaines is a shy, straight-A student who spends her days and nights at home with her grandparents.
01:15You know, I really wasn't allowed to do too much.
01:20Basically, you know, I was cooking, stayed in the kitchen, reading a book, crocheting, going to school.
01:29I always wanted to be a nurse.
01:32Hey, Grandma.
01:34Her parents were just teenagers when she was born and couldn't raise her themselves.
01:40My father was fifteen. My mother was sixteen.
01:42So my grandmother stepped up to the plate.
01:47You have better things to think about.
01:49Inside her grandparents' house, it's safe and warm.
01:53A far cry from the cold and dangerous streets right outside their front door.
01:59This is too good.
02:02It can be treacherous.
02:04It can be very dangerous if they don't know you.
02:07You could get shot just from coming out here.
02:10Charisse's grandmother is very strict and keeps a close eye on her.
02:18I listened to my grandmother.
02:21My grandmother was my rock, my heart.
02:24In my eyes, she did no wrong.
02:26And everything she said was right.
02:28And that's how it was supposed to be, so that's how I left it.
02:31And so what happened today at lunch?
02:34Even when it comes to boys, Charisse follows her grandmother's advice.
02:37Charisse, forget about your homework.
02:40Let's go down to the park. My boy's got some drinks.
02:42Sounds fun, but my grandma's here.
02:45I'll see you, okay?
02:47Alright.
02:49Dr. Casey Jordan studies criminal behavior.
02:53Charisse's grandmother is well-intentioned in keeping her under tight control.
02:57But that level of isolation and being cut off from normal teenage experience
03:02can have a backlash effect.
03:03And Charisse can be in danger of falling for the very first guy who shows her attention.
03:09Hey, Grandma.
03:10Your grandmother did not want you dating.
03:12She did not.
03:13You think I can go to the park real quick?
03:15With boys like that, Charisse, no.
03:17Now get on upstairs and do your homework.
03:19The inexperienced girl is about to put her grandmother's boundaries to the test.
03:30One day, a handsome 23-year-old neighbor strolls by Charisse's house on his way to work.
03:36My name's Greg.
03:37Charisse.
03:38Nice to meet you.
03:39Greg has a good construction job and lives down the street with his mom.
03:43Stay right down the corner.
03:44When he stops and says hi to Charisse, her heart skips a beat.
03:48Maybe I'll see you sometime.
03:50He was a good guy.
03:52His intentions weren't negative or anything like that.
03:58Greg leaves Charisse feeling giddy and she's thrilled when he stops by the following afternoon.
04:03He's sweet and funny.
04:06Nothing like the guys at her school that her grandmother's been warning her about.
04:10He'll bring a gift.
04:12He would say hi.
04:14Soon he's visiting almost every day.
04:17I think my granny's watching us.
04:18He would come to talk with me.
04:19As soon as my grandmother came, he would disappear.
04:22Like he would run the back way.
04:24But Charisse's grandmother catches on.
04:27And the next time Greg swings by on his way home, she corners him.
04:31Young man.
04:33My grandmother didn't approve of it at first.
04:35Of course she asked, what do you want with Charisse?
04:38But fortunately for Charisse, Greg knows how to turn on the charm.
04:43I can see where she gets her looks from.
04:45And easily wins her grandmother over.
04:49Charisse couldn't be happier.
04:51My grandmother loved him.
04:53She loved him.
04:54My family loved him.
04:56If a young man stands for daddy, don't wash his heels.
04:59Yes.
05:00Thank you, granny.
05:06With that stamp of approval, Charisse's romance with Greg quickly blossoms.
05:13Two years later, Charisse graduates from high school.
05:16But instead of following her grandmother's advice to go to college, the straight-A student takes a job as a checkout clerk at a gas station.
05:25You got it?
05:26I got it, I got it.
05:28So she and Greg can get their own place.
05:30For this lovesick young woman, her future is all about being with the man who swept her off her feet.
05:36He said he loved me, I said I loved him, and we wanted to go to the next level.
05:43Now what was your grandmother's advice about living with a man?
05:46She told me to wait, get a feeling for being independent first.
05:53Don't depend on no man, ever.
05:56But this time, Charisse ignores her grandmother's advice.
06:02Deep down, Charisse is sure Greg is the one.
06:06Were you thinking maybe this is the guy I marry and have kids with?
06:09Yep.
06:11Yes.
06:13Every little girl that looks like me.
06:15Yeah, you know, I love Greg that much.
06:18Charisse is happier than she ever dreamed she could be.
06:21Hello?
06:26Then one spring day in 2003, her whole world is shattered when her grandmother suddenly dies.
06:35Charisse, only 21 years old, is devastated.
06:40My heart crumbled.
06:42She was my world.
06:44My grandma died.
06:47I turned into a totally different person once my grandmother died.
06:52Charisse's grief over losing her grandmother is crippling.
06:57I was going downhill.
07:01Downhill.
07:04I didn't know how to handle the stress.
07:06I felt alone.
07:08I didn't want nobody around me, not even Greg.
07:12Just leave me, please.
07:14That was my mother.
07:16She was all I had.
07:18Leave me alone.
07:20Not even her Prince Charming can heal the pain she's feeling.
07:26I was angry all the time.
07:29You know, I would take out a lot of things on him that wasn't his fault.
07:32Come here!
07:34You stay here, I'll get it.
07:40Over the next few months, Charisse slowly emerges from her cloud of depression.
07:46But by now, Greg's become more distant, and she's about to discover why.
07:51I'm going to go watch the game in the room, all right?
07:53But wait, we're not supposed to eat together.
07:55Yeah, I'm sorry.
07:56Greg has secrets.
07:58He has secrets.
07:59But you knew them?
08:01Mm-hmm.
08:02I ended up signing out.
08:04Who's Cindy?
08:06I met somebody new.
08:08I didn't want you to find out like this.
08:10Look, just...
08:11I didn't want you to find out like this.
08:12Forget it.
08:13Just forget it.
08:14So, what happened?
08:16He moved out.
08:17This is your decision or his decision?
08:20I kicked him out.
08:24That's it?
08:25Yeah?
08:27Look, Charisse, we don't have to...
08:28Greg, just get out!
08:29That was pretty much the end of it.
08:30She, you know, she couldn't accept that he had cheated on her.
08:35When Charisse finds out that Greg is cheating on her, it bursts her bubble.
08:40Her entire world will implode because she was looking to him for all of her emotional needs.
08:47And if he has betrayed her, what else does she have?
08:52The painful breakup coming on the heels of her grandmother's death is too much for Charisse to handle.
08:59She spends the next few weeks inconsolable.
09:02Other than work, she hardly leaves the house.
09:05Was he the great love of your life?
09:07He was.
09:09He was.
09:15After six miserable months, a friend offers her a new and better paying job as a school bus driver.
09:22She soon finds that working with kids is a helpful distraction.
09:27I liked my job.
09:28It was something different from when I was doing work at the gas station.
09:31Good going.
09:33For the first time in months, Charisse starts to feel like she's moved on from her painful past.
09:39Can you get back on your feet?
09:40Yep.
09:41I was doing really good.
09:43I was back to my old self.
09:45My old self.
09:52But her world is about to come crashing down again.
09:55After months of debilitating heartache, a new job as a school bus driver is helping Charisse Gaines finally get over her ex-boyfriend, Greg.
10:08I didn't want you to find out like this.
10:09But a terrifying incident threatens to send her already fragile world crumbling to the ground.
10:21One morning, Charisse is driving the school bus on her normal route.
10:37When another car comes out of nowhere, plowing head first into the bus.
10:52Paul 911?
10:53What's wrong with the trees?
10:54When the impact happened, someone went over the barrier and it was like an ongoing crash.
11:00It was horrible.
11:02Kids were on the bus.
11:05Because when that happened, I was just like, no more.
11:10Fortunately, none of the kids are hurt.
11:12But Charisse is not so lucky.
11:14She wakes up rattled with injuries to her neck.
11:17What's going on?
11:18All right.
11:19We're just going to put a mask on.
11:20Are you okay?
11:21Are the kids okay?
11:22Yeah, they're all right.
11:26I was off of work for about a good, maybe two years.
11:30Maybe, maybe almost two years.
11:32Doctor's appointments, this, therapy, that.
11:35Just, you know, trying to get back.
11:39What kind of feelings are associated with that stage of your life?
11:43That was out of my mind then.
11:45But I dealt with it.
11:47Where do you find the strength?
11:49I don't know.
11:50My grandmother.
11:51I guess she's behind me with her hand on my shoulder saying, you can do it, baby.
11:58You can do it.
12:00Charisse's grandmother was an incredible impact on her life.
12:03Those words of wisdom about her future and her choices.
12:08Even after her grandmother died, Charisse would often ask herself, what would grandmother tell me to do right this moment?
12:13And this would give her strength.
12:17Charisse survives on the money she gets from the settlement for the bus accident.
12:22When her long road to recovery is over, she decides to follow the path her grandmother wanted for her.
12:29She enrolls in nursing school and gets a job at a teen crisis center.
12:34Doesn't even listen to me anymore.
12:35It was helping teenagers, teaching them things that their parents didn't teach them.
12:42So what my grandmother taught me, I was teaching these kids.
12:45Anytime.
12:51On weekends, Charisse and her best friend Brandy start hanging out at a neighborhood bar.
12:58Where she indulges in all the things her grandmother never let her do.
13:02Drinking and flirting with any man who catches her eye.
13:08Her and Brandy used to hang together, just them two.
13:11They come in the bar to see me.
13:13We all sit up and laugh and talk and drink.
13:15That's why you are a girl.
13:17She never came in with no guys.
13:19Even though it's been four years since she and Greg broke up, the hole in her heart hasn't fully healed.
13:26Were you still broken hearted?
13:28I was.
13:29I was hoping that me and Greg would get back together.
13:33But we didn't.
13:35We ended up getting with somebody else and having a baby.
13:38Two.
13:40One Saturday, there's a handsome new face at the bar.
13:44Steve Mitchell.
13:46Rumor has it, Steve has just been released from jail.
13:49I mean, ain't a lot of girls like Steve.
13:51A lot of them.
13:53He was a real nice looking guy.
13:55Real nice looking guy.
13:56When Steve spots Cherise sitting at the bar, he sets his sights on her.
14:01How are you doing?
14:02But an ex-con is exactly the type of guy her grandmother warned her about.
14:06How do you know I weave my way through them?
14:07He tried to talk to me.
14:09I turned him down.
14:10Like, beat it.
14:12You know?
14:13I don't even know your name.
14:14My name is Steve.
14:15Cherise.
14:16Cherise.
14:17Nice to meet you.
14:18What a lovely name.
14:20Yes.
14:21I was like, I didn't give no men no time of day.
14:24But Steve's not used to having women say no to him.
14:27I'mma leave.
14:28You're gonna stay here and enjoy your drink.
14:29I will.
14:30I'll be over there if you need me.
14:31You do that.
14:32Okay?
14:33Okay.
14:34Okay, just get over there.
14:35All right.
14:36My shoes.
14:38Steve's determined.
14:40And the next week, he finds her at the same bar and steps up his game.
14:44Brandi, how's it going?
14:45Hey, how's it going?
14:46When he started buying her drinks, I knew.
14:48You want another drink, right?
14:49He had to work a little harder to get her.
14:51So it made it more fun.
14:53You just pick up your hand.
14:54You can do that.
14:55And then you just write.
14:56And he really liked her.
14:58His effort to lure Cherise in finally pays off.
15:03I was just like, okay, I'mma give you my number.
15:06Was he growing on you at this point?
15:08He was.
15:09Because he was funny.
15:10He kind of reeled me in a little bit when he reminded me of Greg.
15:16Lunch.
15:17Lunch.
15:18All right.
15:19All right.
15:20Use it.
15:21Don't abuse it.
15:22I will.
15:28The confident ladies man sees his window of opportunity and seizes it.
15:33Once they start dating, Steve makes it his mission to win her over completely.
15:38Or he would have a gift.
15:40I love gifts.
15:41I get that.
15:42A nice little sparkly bracelet.
15:43I'm like, oh, okay.
15:44Let's keep the gifts coming.
15:45Cherise likes the attention.
15:49She ignores her grandmother's voice in her head and slowly lets her guard down.
15:54Thank you for taking me out tonight.
15:55Of course.
15:56He was slowly but surely filling that void.
15:59You know, he, like I said, he made me laugh.
16:03And he always told me how beautiful I was.
16:08I gave him a chance.
16:11All right, girl.
16:12You ready?
16:13Yes, I'm ready.
16:14But Cherise's best friend Brandy isn't a fan.
16:15I heard some stuff about Steve.
16:16In fact, she claims she's learned something that paints Steve in a whole different life.
16:26He had a reputation for being a cheater, a liar, a little bit abusive.
16:31I knew a person who he was supposed to marry.
16:35And the reason why she called it off was because he had punched her in her face.
16:40She just said, leave him alone.
16:43He's not good for you.
16:45Don't worry, Randy.
16:46I'm all right.
16:47I'm just saying.
16:51Within a couple of months, Steve moves in with Cherise.
16:54You'll see, just give me one sec.
16:55Was it just nice to have someone to go home to at the end of a long shift?
16:58It was.
16:59It was just, I loved him.
17:02I did.
17:03Close your eyes.
17:04I fell for him.
17:05He fell for me too.
17:06I love it.
17:07I opened up.
17:09And I let him in.
17:11Steve's not shy about spending money.
17:13And he spoils his girlfriend at every turn.
17:16Here you go.
17:17What's this for?
17:18Just something to help out with the rent.
17:20A couple months worth.
17:21Yeah, I was happy I had the money in my hand.
17:24He was spoiling you with money.
17:25He was.
17:26I love it.
17:27Oh.
17:33Cherise doesn't ask where the money is coming from.
17:36He always said, I'm looking for a job.
17:38I was working, but it's hard finding a job with my background.
17:42Cherise is clearly in denial about the source of Steve's income.
17:46She enjoys having the rent paid and receiving showers of gifts.
17:49So, she simply doesn't ask those questions.
17:58Cherise seems to have tamed the handsome playboy.
18:01Hey, honey.
18:02Hey, honey.
18:03He was such a good guy to Cherise in the beginning that I kind of had a second guess myself and
18:11think that maybe I was a little bit of a hater.
18:14But it's not long before Steve shows his true colors in dramatic fashion.
18:20A few months after he moves in, Cherise and Steve are getting cozy at the bar when, according
18:27to Cherise and Brandy, a woman comes up, jolting Cherise back into reality.
18:33Really?
18:34Who am I?
18:35I'm pregnant with yourself.
18:36That's who I am.
18:37Nothing.
18:38What are you talking about right now?
18:39What the hell is she talking about?
18:40What is she talking about?
18:41Steve is denying everything, but Cherise doesn't believe a word.
18:44Two months ago.
18:45I was with you.
18:46I couldn't believe it.
18:47I couldn't believe it.
18:48Like, how could you do this to me?
18:50You're living in my house.
18:52You're smooching up to me every day like nothing's going on, but here you are.
18:57Cherise and Brandy claim the other woman won't leave until she gets some answers.
19:02Don't touch me.
19:03I was like, I'm done with you.
19:04Are you saying to me that right there in the bar you told him, that's it?
19:08I'm done.
19:09Hell yeah.
19:10You can break it up.
19:11I was upset.
19:12I was smoking.
19:13Cherise, let's go.
19:14Let's go.
19:15I try to take this privately, but you don't want to get up and be a man.
19:18Steve realizes he's just been dumped.
19:20That's not my child.
19:21The situation was escalating.
19:22You want to sit there, Connie Lighter?
19:24She was running off at her mouth.
19:26He was running off his mouth and he had been drinking.
19:30She was pissing him off even more.
19:31And as that liquor sat in, honey, he turned into Diablo.
19:36At the time, I really seen crazy come into his ass.
19:40You freaking child.
19:41What's wrong with you?
19:43Charise Gaines claims she's just discovered the man she loves may have cheated on her.
20:02I'm pregnant and you're the father.
20:04According to Charise, when she breaks up with him, the smooth-talking playboy suddenly loses his cool.
20:10Stop it!
20:11Get out of here!
20:12He had hit her so hard that he had lifted her up off of her feet and she went flying.
20:22She fell in between the bar stools and the bar stools fell on top of her.
20:26You always start in damn trouble!
20:29Steve is immediately tossed out of the bar.
20:31It's not cool.
20:32Leaving Charise in a state of shock.
20:35That was the first time that she had ever seen any type of valence, physical altercation from him.
20:41It cut her off guard.
20:42Steve calls the next day to apologize.
20:50He was just a story.
20:53You know, it just happened.
20:55Listen, listen.
20:56It's not what you think, alright?
20:57Are you serious?
20:58Do you think I'm stupid?
21:00But Charise doesn't trust him.
21:02She's afraid if she stays with Steve, she could become his next target.
21:06No, you can get all of your stuff.
21:07It's all sitting out here in the driveway.
21:09No, I'm done.
21:10I don't even want to talk to you.
21:15Charise tries to get over Steve by focusing on school and work.
21:19But in spite of the red flags, deep down she wants him back.
21:26Did you work out?
21:29The following weekend, she and Brandy are back at the bar, where Charise knows she'll probably run into Steve.
21:36So you're back to your strong self, pre-Steve, but then you go to the bar with Brandy, and who's there?
21:44Steve's there.
21:47He was, at the end of the bar, he was peeking, watching, looking.
21:53You know, I made it my business to talk to somebody else, show him that you are a non-factor at this point.
22:01He ended up sending notes from down there, you know.
22:07But what happened to your judgment, Charise?
22:09I don't know.
22:10I was blinded.
22:11Blinded by love?
22:12I was.
22:13I thought it was love.
22:15I expected them to get back together because she was so in love at the time that, you know, it's very hard once you love someone to let it go.
22:23I'll be right back.
22:24Like an addict needing a fix, Charise can't resist Steve's power over her.
22:29Steve may have sweet-talked Charise into taking him back, but Charise's eyes are now open.
22:36She still wants that relationship, but now she's going to look at Steve in a whole new way.
22:47The next day, he moves back into her apartment, and the relationship becomes steamier than ever.
22:55Even though things seem fine in the moment, deep down, Charise has doubts about Steve's loyalty.
23:01What are you doing?
23:04And it's not long before those fears are realized.
23:09Excuse me.
23:10Six months after Steve's explosion at the bar, Charise is at her new job as a medical assistant when she gets some disturbing news.
23:18No, he's not supposed to be there right now.
23:20You were at work, and your neighbors are warning you, Steve's in your home.
23:24There's a lot of traffic going on.
23:25There's a lot of traffic.
23:27Which means?
23:28He could either be selling drugs, or he's cheating.
23:32Charise decides to try to catch him in the act.
23:35I was usually working 4 till 8 in the morning.
23:38Okay.
23:39Came home early, 12 o'clock.
23:41And I caught him in my bed with a female.
23:48I really want to know how that went down.
23:50Everything went red.
23:51Charise loses it.
23:56This time, she strikes back.
23:58Are you serious?
24:00I put up behind him, and I punched him so hard with all my might.
24:06He didn't see it coming.
24:07Don't you know I will beat your ass?
24:09As the other woman rushes out of the house, Charise takes aim at her two-timing boyfriend.
24:15What are you talking about?
24:16My attention really wasn't on her.
24:18Get out!
24:19Go!
24:20It was him that I was upset with.
24:22Like, you went this far.
24:24Hurry!
24:25Go!
24:26Like, if you're going to cheat, go somewhere else.
24:29For the second time in their year-long relationship, Charise boots Steve out of the house.
24:40But Steve can't let go.
24:42And once again, this confident and cocky womanizer refuses to give up.
24:46Let me just come inside and let's talk.
24:48Just for a little bit.
24:50But Charise is sick of putting up with his constant betrayal.
24:54So she decides to let Steve back in.
24:56But on her terms, he can spend the night, but only when invited.
25:00At that point in the moment, he was a boy toy.
25:04Not so in love anymore?
25:05Nope.
25:06But you're enjoying the benefits?
25:07I am.
25:08He was the only guy that I've been with for a while, a long time.
25:12It was good.
25:13Charise is willing to stay with Steve, but the terms have changed.
25:17Now she calls the shots.
25:19The relationship will be sexual and physical, but not emotional.
25:23Steve is willing to do this, but will he be able to handle these new conditions?
25:32Charise will start by giving him a taste of his own medicine.
25:37Out in public, she openly flirts with other guys right in front of Steve.
25:41It seems the tables have turned, and Charise is milking it for all it's worth.
25:47By then, she was showing her true side.
25:50She was being with other different guys up there.
25:54See, that's what we're doing now?
25:55We're just going around listening to other guys?
25:57What are you talking about?
25:58So I'm like really pushing him away, blowing him off.
26:01I'm, at this point, I'm so done.
26:05You do not even exist to me anymore, what you put me through.
26:08Her behavior stokes Steve's jealousy.
26:11Steve has started becoming very controlling.
26:16He didn't want to share her with anybody else.
26:19You could tell he was losing his mind.
26:21Step off, let's go.
26:23What do you mean, what do I mean?
26:28I don't want you at the bar with no other dudes, you understand me?
26:31Over the next two months, Charise and Steve's new casual relationship
26:35becomes a powder keg of resentment.
26:37The more Charise flirts, the angrier Steve becomes.
26:42Especially behind closed doors.
26:44It was more or less like maybe him pushing me against the wall.
26:51Or, bitch don't say another word.
26:54Or, him grabbing me.
26:56Or, you know, but I would always fidget my way out of it.
26:59Or, get in my car to leave.
27:02Or, call Brady.
27:04But he's crazy.
27:06It sounds like this is a different side of Steve.
27:08I think he lost it.
27:10When he knew that there was no more me falling for his crap.
27:13But Charise considers the abuse a small price to pay.
27:19Hey, where you going?
27:21For having absolute power over her man.
27:24Then finally he started falling around like a little puppy.
27:27And I knew it was going to be trouble then.
27:29Charise might be using her new found power to make Steve jealous.
27:33But, in truth, Steve is not going to be so much jealous as resentful.
27:38It's most likely that Steve will become even more abusive.
27:42Hello, Steve.
27:44Hey, baby, where you at?
27:46On the night of March 24th, 2009, Charise gets a phone call from Steve asking for a ride.
27:51We were all partying, having a great time, laughing, joking.
27:56He pretty much just gave her an address and said, come get me.
28:00I'm at this bar.
28:02Charise agrees to come get him.
28:08How's he doing?
28:10But when she gets to the address, she's shocked to discover it's a strip club.
28:13Instead of stopping, Charise speeds off, leaving Steve outside in the cold.
28:21I was upset.
28:25I was pissed off to be exact.
28:28He's not treating you well.
28:29He's not going to ever treat me well.
28:32And from that point on, it was like, I need to move on.
28:36Was that an eye opener for you?
28:37It was.
28:44Charise hears her grandmother's voice again and remembers how she was raised.
28:50It was like, enough is enough.
28:54I deserve better.
28:55I can do better.
28:56I am better.
28:58He had you come pick him up from the strip club.
29:01Back at home, Charise calls Brandi and the two laugh, picturing Steve waiting outside in the cold.
29:07But minutes later, she hears banging at the front door.
29:10Charise!
29:13Charise!
29:15And it's him.
29:16Screaming, hollering, drunk, stumbling.
29:21I know you're in there!
29:22And of course, you know, I'm at the point where enough is enough.
29:26I'm not taking anymore.
29:27Open the door!
29:29After months of bottling up her emotions, Charise finally lets Steve have it.
29:35And once the floodgates are open, she can't stop.
29:37I stand up for myself and I lay it all out on the line.
29:42Everything.
29:44So I'm cheating.
29:45Everything.
29:47And he realizes that I'm not playing this time.
29:50I say, you gotta get out, you have to go.
29:51Don't come back.
29:53And this time, she vows never to take him back.
29:56No, you are not here.
29:57You can go back.
29:58Are you, you know, verbally fighting?
30:01The next thing you know, he just grabs me.
30:03That is over!
30:04No, you're not gonna touch me!
30:05But was there something different this time?
30:07Get off of me!
30:09It was more force behind it.
30:11Get off!
30:13Get off!
30:15Brandy, who is still on the phone, can tell the fight is escalating.
30:19What happened? Charise!
30:20Police!
30:21He was irate.
30:23I could hear through the phone him cursing and screaming.
30:26Get off of me!
30:28My first instinct, send myself, get him off of me.
30:34I heard her screaming for him to keep his effing hands off of her.
30:39And, you know, at that point in time, I decided I'm calling the police.
30:44He just got his hands around my neck.
30:50And he's squeezing.
30:52And I can't get him off.
30:53Emergency, what is the problem?
30:55My friend Charise Keynes is being beat up by her boyfriend Steven Mitchell.
31:00I can't breathe.
31:03My vision is getting blurred.
31:05Everything's going dark.
31:08I panic.
31:10The only thing I could think of was grab something.
31:12Anything.
31:13Just to help me.
31:15I ended up getting some scissors.
31:31Charise and Steve's on again, off again relationship has been on a collision course for months.
31:37When Charise finally decides to end it for good,
31:40Steve snaps.
31:43Charise grabs the closest thing she can to get him off of her.
31:47A pair of scissors.
31:49Ah!
31:52Damn, you crazy bitch!
31:53Charise kicks into survival mode.
31:56How many times did you swing them?
31:58About five or six.
32:00But he let go of your neck.
32:02He let go.
32:03When he got off of me, it was like...
32:06I was trying to catch myself.
32:08My body was so heavy.
32:10I couldn't really stand Pharrell.
32:13You know, it was like he took all the life out of me.
32:16And it was scary.
32:17I thought I was dying.
32:19Hello?
32:20Please?
32:21It was like a relief.
32:22My boyfriend, you tried to choke me.
32:23And I thought they were there to help me.
32:27Officers take one look at Steve and call for an ambulance.
32:31I was covered in blood.
32:33I was just laying in bed.
32:34He's lying!
32:35Ma'am, ma'am, I need you to sit down.
32:37Sit down.
32:38I said, he almost choked the life out of me.
32:41Based on what they see, police believe Steve's story.
32:45Ma'am, I need you to stand up, please.
32:47And arrest Charise.
32:49I said, well, can I talk?
32:52They say, no, you shut up.
32:54There's a name in his house, are you serious?
32:56While Steve takes a ride to the emergency room,
32:58Charise is booked at the Pittsburgh County Jail.
33:03Charise was charged with aggravated assault,
33:05causing bodily injury with a deadly weapon.
33:08And that carries a potential maximum penalty
33:11of 10 years incarceration.
33:14Hey, Charise, this is Brandy.
33:16I'm calling you again.
33:17Brandy hasn't been able to reach Charise since calling 9-1-1.
33:23When she turns on the TV...
33:25What?
33:26Lo and behold, my friend's face is plastered across the news.
33:30And I'm like, are you kidding me?
33:32What are they arresting her for?
33:33I was very shocked because I was the person who called the police.
33:37And I let them know that he was attacking her.
33:40Steve's friends at the bar are also in shock.
33:44Everybody felt bad for Steve.
33:46Let me say it that way.
33:47Everybody liked Steve.
33:49He was nice to everybody.
33:50He had a big heart.
33:54For the next six agonizing days,
33:56Charise sits in her cell wondering if Steve will survive.
33:59The whole time I was in jail, he was still in critical care.
34:02And I just was praying that he would be okay.
34:04He pulled through.
34:08One week after the fight,
34:10Charise hears that Steve has been released from the hospital.
34:14The next day, they're both called into court
34:17for a preliminary hearing.
34:19Charise's stomach is in knots.
34:20She's scared of facing Steve and terrified that he'll accuse her of trying to kill him.
34:26But Steve has had a change of heart.
34:30He didn't look at me like, you bitch, like, you know.
34:33It was like, I'm sorry.
34:36He told them that he didn't want to press charges.
34:38He didn't want anything to do with it.
34:39Now, in my opinion, there's not necessarily an innocent and injured party.
34:44And he has his own legal problems that were stemming out of this incident.
34:49Your Honor, it's the state's position to proceed with the prosecution in this matter.
34:54But the state decides to take up the case anyway.
34:57And a trial date is set for the following April.
35:00In the meantime, Charise is released from jail without bail.
35:08She tries to make sense of what happened
35:11and figure out how to put her life back together.
35:14While I was in jail, I lost my job.
35:18I got kicked out of school because I missed so many days that I couldn't stop crying.
35:22To numb the pain, she turns to her favorite pastime, hitting the bars with Brandy.
35:35Me and Brandy, we're back to being Brandy and Charise.
35:39We go to have cocktails.
35:43This time, Charise decides not to tempt fate and picks a bar across town.
35:48Charise is flirting up a storm when Brandy gets her attention.
35:53What's wrong?
35:55Guess who's here?
35:57She sees Steve.
35:59Don't play with me, Brandy.
36:01Little does she know, he's been hunting her down since she was released from jail a month ago.
36:06Had you seen him since court?
36:08I didn't. And you know what? He doesn't even normally hang out in that bar.
36:12So, him coming to that bar was like, he's coming looking for me.
36:15He was stalking me.
36:18He didn't know what to do with his broken heart.
36:21He chased her, trying to make it better, but it just made it worse.
36:25He went on a war path.
36:27I thought he was going to lose his mind.
36:29It's obvious that Steve still carries a torch for Charise, but she's not having it.
36:34Charise, what's going on?
36:36He started calling him a slut and he's worried about me.
36:40You're stalking me now?
36:41Can't I see that he loves me?
36:43I'm like, Steve, you don't love me. Leave me alone.
36:45If you love me, you'll leave me alone.
36:47Steve goes before the court and insists that it was an accident that he doesn't want to press charges.
36:54When he sees Charise in the bar, he perceives she's ungrateful for what he did for her.
36:59And it makes him completely crazy.
37:01So he kind of didn't grasp the concept that she no longer wanted to be with him.
37:07Don't you think you should do this another time?
37:09I'll do it where I want to do it, all right?
37:10He still wanted to be with Charise.
37:12He was very much in some type of twisted love affair in his own mind.
37:16Look, you need to chill.
37:17I think you need to chill. You need to get up out of here.
37:19Brandy can't keep Steve's temper under control.
37:22What is my problem?
37:23Brandy, she's like, hold up, you know.
37:26She went and got security.
37:27They came and told him he had to go.
37:32An hour later, Charise leaves the bar to grab a jacket from her car.
37:39And gets an unwelcome surprise.
37:43Steve is back, and he's in a blind rage.
37:46He hops in my car, so I'm started. I'm like, oh, my God.
37:51He's like, drive, bitch.
37:53I thought he was going to make me drive into an alleyway somewhere.
37:56I thought he already had it all planned out, and he was going to kill me.
38:01I was scared.
38:03He's just started going off, calling me all types of names,
38:06and tells me he hates me.
38:08Then I reached down, grabbed it.
38:10After stabbing her boyfriend, Steve, during a fight, Charise Gaines is now trying to move on with her life.
38:29But Steve wants her back, at any cost.
38:33Fortunately, Charise is well-armed with mace.
38:35I emptied a whole can, and I didn't stop.
38:39Spreading the mace hit me.
38:41Charise tells Brandi what happened, while Steve, blinded by the mace, stumbles out of the car.
38:45Well, I just had to mace Steve.
38:46What?
38:47She knows what Steve's capable of.
38:48I don't know what to do.
38:49I don't want to go back out there.
38:50And asks bar security for help.
38:51You stay here.
38:52They case the block, but there's no sign of Steve anywhere.
38:54Later that night, when it's time to head home, Brandi leaves the bar first to make sure the coast is clear.
39:00The coast is clear.
39:02What?
39:04Charise tells Brandi what happened, while Steve, blinded by the mace, stumbles out of the car.
39:08I just had to mace Steve.
39:09What?
39:10Yes.
39:11She knows what Steve's capable of.
39:12I don't know what to do.
39:13I don't want to go back out there.
39:14And asks bar security for help.
39:15You stay here.
39:16They case the block, but there's no sign of Steve anywhere.
39:20Later that night, when it's time to head home, Brandi leaves the bar first to make sure the coast is clear.
39:23As she gets ready to drive away, her stomach drops.
39:27We're down the window.
39:28We're down the window!
39:31I rolled down the window and pretended like I didn't know what was going on.
39:35And he said, call Charise out here or I'm going to kill you.
39:38Call Charise.
39:39Steve, what's going on?
39:40Why you got a gun?
39:41You kick into self-preservation mode and you start thinking of things that you never thought you would think of.
39:47And you become very crafty.
39:48And that's pretty much what happened.
39:50I'm a caller, it's cool.
39:51Hurry up!
39:52Hurry up!
39:53Brandi makes the call, but not to Charise.
39:56Hello?
39:57I dialed 911.
39:58Emergency, what is the problem?
40:00Hey, Charise.
40:01I said, Charise Gaines, if you do not get out here, Steven is going to kill me.
40:06And I'm like, okay, if you're going to kill me, they're going to know exactly who did it.
40:10First, the 911 operator did not catch one.
40:12What is your location?
40:13And then finally she realized that I was giving her a description of who was attacking me.
40:17Okay.
40:18And I needed help immediately.
40:20He's going to kill me.
40:21Say it again, I'm going to kill you.
40:23Steve has no idea who Brandi is talking to, but his patience has worn thin.
40:28You know what?
40:29Yes!
40:30She's coming!
40:31He turns towards Charise's car and takes aim.
40:36You hear all types of gunshots, maybe about 12 gunshots, maybe.
40:41Good thing I didn't leave, because I believe he would have killed me.
40:45The 911 operator asked me, she said, are you okay?
40:48I said, I'm fine.
40:49And all of a sudden he takes off.
40:55He was right here shooting up the car.
40:57Police arrive minutes later, but by then, Steve is long gone.
41:01He told me to call her, otherwise he was going to kill me.
41:04A warrant is issued for his arrest.
41:09While police search for Steve, Charise decides to move out of the neighborhood.
41:16She's convinced it's only a matter of time before Steve comes looking for her.
41:23One month later, police catch Steve.
41:26I was definitely relieved, you know, because at that point in time,
41:29I didn't know where he was going to be, where he was going to pop up.
41:34In April 2010, Charise returns to court to face charges for stabbing Steve.
41:43But when the court learns of his pending assault case, they drop all charges.
41:47He's dropping all charges. Case dismissed.
41:50I couldn't see a jury, or even a judge, seeing this as something other than self-defense.
41:55It's the best resolution.
42:01Steve isn't so lucky.
42:03Eight months later, in December 2010, he pleads guilty to shooting up Charise's car.
42:08The state sentences Steve Mitchell to eight years in the penitentiary.
42:12He is sent to state prison for the next four to eight years.
42:15Do you worry about a few years from now when he gets out?
42:18I did. I moved. I moved to the suburbs for a way.
42:24And nobody knows where I live at.
42:27But Steve's friends say the only thing Steve's really guilty of is being in love.
42:32If he was a mean-spirited person, he'd have put her in jail when she gutted him like he was a fish.
42:40But he didn't.
42:42And he still tried to get with her.
42:44That just goes to show how much he cared.
42:48So they can't make Steve into a villain.
42:51He's just a man with a broken heart.
42:52The end of the story with Steve really brought Charise full circle and brought home all of the lessons her grandmother had always tried to impart.
43:02That she is her own woman.
43:03She does not need any man or any relationship to define her.
43:10Charise has gotten her life back on track.
43:13She has a good job as a physician's assistant and is focused on her future.
43:18It's a life her grandmother would have wanted for her.
43:20You have a man in your life right now?
43:23No.
43:24Doesn't sound like you're looking for one either.
43:26I'm not.
43:27Is Charise in charge of Charise?
43:29Yes, she is.
43:30And I'm just living my life.
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