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Terra.Anatolia
  • 8 hours ago
Transcript
00:00A woman avoids love at all costs.
00:02Crabbed my eyes out. My heart was hurt.
00:04My name is Steve.
00:06Until a smooth-talking playboy breaks through her defenses.
00:10A lot of girls like Steve. A lot of them.
00:13But her Prince Charming isn't what he seems.
00:16He had a reputation for being a cheater, a liar, abusive.
00:21When a well of bitter secrets is unsealed,
00:24the relationship becomes a ticking time bomb.
00:27Why am I in the arrest?
00:30I'm not playing this time.
00:31Don't stop me!
00:32I can't get them off.
00:34I panic.
00:41Not all fairy tales have happy endings.
00:45When love goes wrong, a woman can do the unthinkable.
00:50Spring 1998, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
01:0216-year-old Charisse Gaines is a shy, straight-A student
01:06who spends her days and nights at home with her grandparents.
01:09I really wasn't allowed to do too much.
01:15Basically, you know, I was cooking, stayed in the kitchen, reading a book, crocheting,
01:22going to school. I always wanted to be a nurse.
01:25Hey, Grandma.
01:27Her parents were just teenagers when she was born and couldn't raise her themselves.
01:34My father was 15. My mother was 16. So my grandmother stepped up to the plate.
01:41You have better things to think about.
01:43Inside her grandparents' house, it's safe and warm.
01:49A far cry from the cold and dangerous streets right outside their front door.
01:54This is too good. It can be treacherous.
02:00And it can be very dangerous if they don't know you.
02:02You could get shot just from coming out here.
02:06Charisse's grandmother is very strict.
02:10And keeps a close eye on her.
02:14I listened to my grandmother. My grandmother was my rock, my heart.
02:19In my eyes, she did no wrong. And everything she said was right.
02:22And that's how it was supposed to be. So that's how I lived it.
02:27And so what happened today at lunch?
02:28Even when it comes to boys, Charisse follows her grandmother's advice.
02:32Charisse, forget about your homework. Let's go down to the park. Our boys got some drinks.
02:36Sounds fun, but my grandma's here.
02:39I'll see you, okay?
02:40All right.
02:42Dr. Casey Jordan studies criminal behavior.
02:47Charisse's grandmother is well-intentioned in keeping her under tight control.
02:52But that level of isolation and being cut off from normal teenage experience
02:57can have a backlash effect. And Charisse can be in danger of falling for the very first guy
03:02who shows her attention.
03:03Hey, grandma.
03:04Your grandmother did not want you dating.
03:06She did not.
03:07You think I can go to the park real quick?
03:09With boys like that, Charisse, no.
03:11Now get on upstairs and do your homework.
03:14The inexperienced girl is about to put her grandmother's boundaries to the test.
03:25One day, a handsome 23-year-old neighbor strolls by Charisse's house on his way to work.
03:31My name's Greg.
03:32Charisse.
03:33Nice to meet you.
03:34Greg has a good construction job and lives down the street with his mom.
03:37Stay right on the corner.
03:38When he stops and says hi to Charisse, her heart skips a beat.
03:42Maybe I'll see you sometime.
03:44He was a good guy.
03:45Maybe.
03:46And his intentions wasn't negative or anything like that.
03:51Greg leaves Charisse feeling giddy and she's thrilled when he stops by the following afternoon.
03:59He's sweet and funny.
04:01Nothing like the guys at her school that her grandmother's been warning her about.
04:05He'll bring a gift.
04:07He will say hi.
04:08Soon, he's visiting almost every day.
04:11I think my granny's watching us.
04:13He would come to talk with me.
04:14As soon as my grandmother came, he would disappear.
04:16Like he would run the back way.
04:19But Charisse's grandmother catches on.
04:22And the next time Greg swings by on his way home, she corners him.
04:26Young man.
04:27My grandmother didn't approve of it at first.
04:29Of course, she asked me, what do you want with Charisse?
04:34But fortunately for Charisse, Greg knows how to turn on the charm.
04:38I can see where she gets her looks from.
04:40And easily wins her grandmother over.
04:43Charisse couldn't be happier.
04:45My grandmother loved him.
04:47She loved him.
04:48My family loved him.
04:50If you're young man is damn pathetic, tell him to wash his hands.
04:54Thank you, Granny.
04:57With that stamp of approval, Charisse's romance with Greg quickly blossoms.
05:08Two years later, Charisse graduates from high school.
05:11But instead of following her grandmother's advice to go to college, the straight-A student takes
05:17a job as a checkout clerk at a gas station.
05:19You got it?
05:21I got it, I got it.
05:22So she and Greg can get their own place.
05:25For this lovesick young woman, her future is all about being with the man who swept her off her feet.
05:31He said he loved me, I said I loved him, and we wanted to go to the next level.
05:37Now what was your grandmother's advice about living with a man?
05:41She told me to wait, get a feeling for being independent first.
05:47Don't depend on no man, ever.
05:50But this time, Charisse ignores her grandmother's advice.
05:57Deep down, Charisse is sure Greg is the one.
06:00Were you thinking maybe this is the guy I marry and have kids with?
06:03Yep.
06:06Yes.
06:08Every little girl that looks like me.
06:10Yeah, you know, I love Greg that much.
06:12Charisse is happier than she ever dreamed she could be.
06:16Hello?
06:20Hello?
06:21Then one spring day in 2003, her whole world is shattered when her grandmother suddenly dies.
06:30Charisse, only 21 years old, is devastated.
06:34My heart crumbled. She was my world.
06:39My grandma died.
06:42I turned into a totally different person once my grandmother died.
06:46Charisse's grief over losing her grandmother is crippling.
06:53I was going downhill.
06:56Downhill.
06:59I didn't know how to handle the stress. I felt alone.
07:02I didn't want nobody around me, not even Greg.
07:08Just leave me, please.
07:09That was my mother.
07:12She was all I had.
07:12Leave me alone.
07:15Not even her Prince Charming can heal the pain she's feeling.
07:20I was angry all the time.
07:24You know, I would take out a lot of things on him that wasn't his fault.
07:27Come here.
07:28You stay here, I'll get it.
07:30Over the next few months, Charisse slowly emerges from her cloud of depression.
07:41But by now, Greg's become more distant and she's about to discover why.
07:46I'm gonna go watch the game in the room, all right?
07:48But wait, we're supposed to eat together.
07:50Yeah, that's fine.
07:51Greg has secrets.
07:53He has secrets.
07:54But you knew them?
07:54Mm-hmm.
07:55I ended up signing out.
07:59Who's Cindy?
08:01I met somebody new.
08:02I didn't want you to find out like this.
08:05Look, just, I didn't want you to find out like this.
08:07Just forget it.
08:07Just forget it.
08:09So, what happened?
08:11He moved out.
08:12This is your decision or his decision?
08:15I kicked him out.
08:18That's it?
08:19Yeah.
08:21Look, Charisse, we don't have to-
08:22Greg, just get out!
08:24That was pretty much the end of it.
08:25She, you know, she couldn't accept that he had cheated on her.
08:30When Charisse finds out that Greg is cheating on her, it bursts her bubble.
08:35Her entire world will implode because she was looking to him for all of her emotional needs.
08:41And if he has betrayed her, what else does she have?
08:46The painful breakup coming on the heels of her grandmother's death
08:50is too much for Charisse to handle.
08:53She spends the next few weeks inconsolable.
08:57Other than work, she hardly leaves the house.
09:00Was he the great love of your life?
09:02He was.
09:04He was.
09:05After six miserable months, a friend offers her a new and better paying job as a school bus driver.
09:17She soon finds that working with kids is a helpful distraction.
09:21I liked my job.
09:22It was something different from when I was doing work at the gas station.
09:28For the first time in months, Charisse starts to feel like she's moved on from her painful past.
09:34You get back on your feet?
09:35Yep.
09:36I was doing really good.
09:37I was back to my old self.
09:40But her world is about to come crashing down again.
09:47But her world is about to come crashing down again.
09:53After months of debilitating heartache, a new job as a school bus driver is helping
10:14Charisse's games finally get over her ex-boyfriend, Greg.
10:18I didn't want you to find out.
10:20But a terrifying incident threatens to send her already fragile world crumbling to the ground.
10:26One morning, Charisse is driving the school bus on her normal route.
10:33Charisse comes out of nowhere, plowing head first into the bus.
10:47Call 911.
10:48What's wrong with the street?
10:49When the impact happened, I went over the barrier and it was like an ongoing crash.
10:55It was horrible.
10:58Kids were on the bus.
11:00When that happened, I was just like, no more.
11:05Fortunately, none of the kids are hurt.
11:07But Charisse is not so lucky.
11:09She wakes up rattled with injuries to her neck.
11:12What's going on?
11:13All right, we're just going to put a mask on.
11:14Are the kids okay?
11:17Yeah, they're all right.
11:20I was out of work for about a good, um, maybe two years, maybe, maybe almost two years.
11:27Doctor's appointments, this, therapy, that, just, you know, trying to get back.
11:34What kind of feelings are associated with that stage of your life?
11:38That was out of my mind then.
11:40But I dealt with it.
11:41Where do you find the strength?
11:43I don't know.
11:45My grandmother.
11:47Because she's behind me with her hand on my shoulder saying, you can do it, baby.
11:53You can do it.
11:54Charisse's grandmother was an incredible impact on her life.
11:58Those words of wisdom about her future and her choices.
12:03Even after her grandmother died, Charisse would often ask herself,
12:05what would grandmother tell me to do right this moment?
12:08And this would give her strength.
12:11Charisse survives on the money she gets from the settlement for the bus accident.
12:18When her long road to recovery is over, she decides to follow the path her grandmother wanted for her.
12:23She enrolls in nursing school and gets a job at a teen crisis center.
12:28She doesn't even listen to me anymore.
12:30It was helping teenagers, teaching them things that their parents didn't teach them.
12:36So, what my grandmother taught me, I was teaching these kids.
12:39Anytime.
12:43I'm going to get a little more hot.
12:44It's all right.
12:44It's all right.
12:46On weekends, Charisse and her best friend Brandie start hanging out at a neighborhood bar.
12:51I was just going to say, look.
12:52I'm just going to say, look.
12:53You look.
12:53Hand and hand and hand.
12:53where she indulges in all the things her grandmother never let her do.
12:59Drinking and flirting with any man who catches her eye.
13:03Her and Brandy used to hang together, just them two.
13:06They'd come in the bar to see me.
13:08We all sit up and laugh and talk and drink.
13:11She never came in with no guys.
13:15Even though it's been four years since she and Greg broke up,
13:19the hole in her heart hasn't fully healed.
13:22Were you still brokenhearted?
13:23I was.
13:25I was hoping that me and Greg would get back together, but we didn't.
13:30We ended up getting with somebody else and having a baby, too.
13:35One Saturday, there's a handsome new face at the bar, Steve Mitchell.
13:40Rumor has it, Steve has just been released from jail.
13:43I mean, a lot of girls like Steve, a lot of them.
13:47He was a real nice-looking guy, real nice-looking guy.
13:50When Steve spots Cherise sitting at the bar, he sets his sights on her.
13:55How are you doing?
13:56But an ex-con is exactly the type of guy her grandmother warned her about.
14:01He tried to talk to me.
14:03I turned him down, like, beat it, you know?
14:07I don't even know your name.
14:08My name is Steve.
14:10Cherise.
14:10Cherise.
14:11Nice to meet you.
14:12I love you, thank you.
14:14Yes.
14:15After Greg, it was like, I didn't give them a minute of time to take.
14:18But Steve's not used to having women say no to him.
14:21I'm going to leave.
14:22You're going to stay here and enjoy your drink.
14:24I will.
14:24I'll be over there if you need me.
14:25You do that.
14:26Okay?
14:26Okay.
14:27Okay, just get over there.
14:29All right.
14:31My shoes.
14:32Steve's determined.
14:34And the next week, he finds her at the same bar and steps up his game.
14:38When he started buying her drinks, I knew.
14:42You want another drink, right?
14:43He had to work a little harder to get her, so it made it more fun.
14:48You just pick up your hand.
14:49You can do that.
14:50You know, you're just right.
14:51And he really liked her.
14:54His effort to Laura Cherise in finally pays off.
14:58I was just like, okay, I'm going to give you my number.
15:01Was he growing on you at this point?
15:03He was.
15:04Because he was funny.
15:05He kind of reeled me in a little bit.
15:08When he reminded me of Greg.
15:11Lunch.
15:12Lunch.
15:13All right.
15:14All right.
15:14Use it.
15:15Don't abuse it.
15:16I will.
15:18The confident ladies' man sees his window of opportunity and seizes it.
15:28Once they start dating, Steve makes it his mission to win her over completely.
15:33Or he would have a gift.
15:35I love gifts.
15:36I get that.
15:37A nice little sparkly bracelet.
15:39I'm like, oh, okay.
15:40Let's keep the gifts coming.
15:41Cherise likes the attention.
15:44She ignores her grandmother's voice in her head and slowly lets her guard down.
15:48Thank you for taking me out tonight.
15:50Of course.
15:51He was slowly but surely filling that void.
15:55Now he, like I said, he made me laugh.
15:58And he always told me how beautiful I was.
16:02I gave him a chance.
16:09All right, girl, you ready?
16:10Yes, I'm ready.
16:11But Cherise's best friend Brandy isn't a fan.
16:14I heard some stuff about Steve.
16:16In fact, she claims she's learned something that paints Steve in a whole different life.
16:21He had a reputation for being a cheater, a liar, a little bit abusive.
16:26I knew a person who he was supposed to marry.
16:30And the reason why she called it off was because he had punched her in her face.
16:35She just said, leave him alone.
16:38He's not good for you.
16:40Don't worry.
16:41All right.
16:42I'm just saying.
16:43Within a couple of months, Steve moves in with Cherise.
16:49You'll see.
16:49Just give me one sec.
16:50Was it just nice to have someone to go home to at the end of a long shift?
16:53It was.
16:54It was just.
16:56I loved him.
16:57I did.
16:57Close your eyes.
16:58I fell for him.
17:00He fell for me, too.
17:02I love it.
17:03I opened up and I let him in.
17:06Steve's not shy about spending money and he spoils his girlfriend at every turn.
17:11Here you go.
17:11What's this for?
17:14This is something to help out with the rent.
17:15A couple months worth.
17:16Yeah, I was happy I had the money in my hand.
17:19He was spoiling you with money.
17:20He was.
17:21I love it.
17:22Aww.
17:28Cherise doesn't ask where the money is coming from.
17:31He always said, I'm looking for a job.
17:33I was working, but it's hard finding a job with my background.
17:37Cherise is clearly in denial about the source of Steve's income.
17:40She enjoys having the rent paid and receiving showers of gifts, so she simply doesn't ask
17:46those questions.
17:53Cherise seems to have tamed the handsome playboy.
17:56Hey, honey.
17:57Hey, honey.
17:58He was such a good guy to Cherise in the beginning that I kind of had a second guess myself and
18:05think that maybe I was a little bit of a hater.
18:08But it's not long before Steve shows his true colors in dramatic fashion.
18:17A few months after he moves in, Cherise and Steve are getting cozy at the bar when, according
18:22to Cherise and Brandy, a woman comes up, jolting Cherise back into reality.
18:27Really?
18:28Who am I?
18:29I'm pregnant with your spouse.
18:30That's who I am.
18:31You're not pregnant with nothing.
18:32What are you talking about right now?
18:33What the hell is she talking about?
18:34What is she talking about?
18:35Steve is denying everything, but Cherise doesn't believe a word.
18:39Two months ago?
18:40I was with you.
18:41I couldn't believe it.
18:42I couldn't believe it.
18:43Right?
18:44How could you do this to me?
18:45You're living in my house.
18:47You're smooching up to me every day like nothing's going on, but here you are.
18:52Cherise and Brandy claim the other woman won't leave until she gets some answers.
18:56Don't touch me.
18:57I was like, I'm done with you.
18:59Are you saying to me that right there in the bar, you told him, that's it?
19:02I'm done.
19:03Hell yeah.
19:04You can break it up.
19:05I was upset.
19:06I was smoking.
19:07Cherise, let's go.
19:08Let's go.
19:09I try to take this privately, but you don't want to get up and be a man.
19:12Steve realizes he's just been dumped.
19:14That's not my child.
19:15The situation was escalating.
19:16You wasn't that Connie Lighter?
19:18She was running off at her mouth.
19:20He was running off with his mouth, and he had been drinking.
19:24She was pissing him off even more.
19:25And as that liquor set in, honey, he turned into Diablo.
19:30At the time, I really seen crazy come into his ass.
19:34How come you bring a child?
19:35What's wrong with you?
19:37Oh!
19:50Charise Gaines claims she's just discovered the man she loves may have cheated on her.
19:56I'm pregnant, and you're the father.
19:58According to Charise, when she breaks up with him, the smooth-talking playboy suddenly loses his cool.
20:04Stop it!
20:07Get out of here!
20:09He had hit her so hard that he had lifted her up off of her feet, and she went flying.
20:16She fell in between the bar stools, and the bar stools fell on top of her.
20:20You always start in damn trouble!
20:22Steve is immediately tossed out of the bar.
20:25It's not cool.
20:26Leaving Charise in a state of shock.
20:29That was the first time that she had ever seen any type of valence, physical altercation from him.
20:35It cut her off guard.
20:42Steve calls the next day to apologize.
20:45We will just be sorry.
20:47You know, it just happened.
20:50Listen, listen, it's not what you think, all right?
20:52Are you serious?
20:53Do you think I'm stupid?
20:54But Charise doesn't trust him.
20:56She's afraid if she stays with Steve, she could become his next target.
21:00No, you can get all of your stuff.
21:01It's all sitting out here in the driveway.
21:03No, basically.
21:04No, I'm done.
21:05I don't even want to talk to you.
21:10Charise tries to get over Steve by focusing on school and work.
21:13But in spite of the red flags, deep down, she wants him back.
21:23Did you work out?
21:24The following weekend, she and Brandy are back at the bar, where Charise knows she'll probably run into Steve.
21:31So you're back to your strong self, pre-Steve, but then you go to the bar with Brandy, and who's there?
21:39Steve's there.
21:41He was, at the end of the bar, he was peeking, watching, looking.
21:47You know, I made it my business to talk to somebody else, show him that you are a non-factor at this point.
21:55He ended up sending notes from down there.
22:00You know.
22:01But what happened to your judgment, Charise?
22:03I don't know, I was blinded.
22:05Blinded by love?
22:06I was.
22:07I thought it was love.
22:10I 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 and let it go.
22:17I'll be right back.
22:19Like an addict needing a fix, Charise can't resist Steve's power over her.
22:23Steve may have sweet-talked Charise into taking him back, but Charise's eyes are now open.
22:30She still wants that relationship, but now she's going to look at Steve in a whole new way.
22:41The next day, he moves back into her apartment, and the relationship becomes steamier than ever.
22:46Even though things seem fine in the moment, deep down, Charise has doubts about Steve's loyalty.
22:55What are you doing?
22:59And it's not long before those fears are realized.
23:04Excuse me.
23:05Six months after Steve's explosion at the bar, Charise is at her new job as a medical assistant when she gets some disturbing news.
23:12No, he's not supposed to be there right now.
23:14You were at work, and your neighbors are warning you, Steve's in your home, there's a lot of traffic going on.
23:19There's a lot of traffic.
23:21Which means?
23:22He could either be selling drugs, or he's cheating.
23:26Charise decides to try to catch him in the act.
23:30I was usually working 4 till 8 in the morning.
23:33Came home early, 12 o'clock.
23:39And I caught him in my bed with a female.
23:42I really want to know how that went down.
23:45Everything went red.
23:49Charise loses it.
23:51This time, she strikes back.
23:53Are you serious?
23:55I went up behind him, and I punched him so hard with all my might.
24:00He didn't see it coming.
24:02Don't you know I will beat your ass?
24:03As the other woman rushes out of the house, Charise takes aim at her two-timing boyfriend.
24:09What are you talking about?
24:10My attention really was on her.
24:12Get out, go!
24:13It was him that I was upset with.
24:15Like, you went this far.
24:18Hurry, go!
24:19Like, if you're gonna cheat, go somewhere else.
24:23For the second time in their year-long relationship, Charise boots Steve out of the house.
24:28But Steve can't let go, and once again, this confident and cocky womanizer refuses to give up.
24:40Let me just come inside and let's talk. Just for a little bit.
24:44But Charise is sick of putting up with his constant betrayal.
24:48So she decides to let Steve back in.
24:51But on her terms, he can spend the night, but only when invited.
24:56At that point in the moment, he was a boy toy.
24:59Not so in love anymore?
25:00Nope.
25:01But you're enjoying the benefits.
25:02I am.
25:03He was the only guy that I've been with for a while, a long time.
25:06It was good.
25:08Charise is willing to stay with Steve, but the terms have changed.
25:11Now she calls the shots.
25:13The relationship will be sexual and physical, but not emotional.
25:17Steve is willing to do this, but will he be able to handle these new conditions?
25:26Charise will start by giving him a taste of his own medicine.
25:31Out in public, she openly flirts with other guys right in front of Steve.
25:35It seems the tables have turned, and Charise is milking it for all it's worth.
25:42By then, she was showing her true side.
25:44She was being with other different guys up there.
25:48So that's what we're doing now?
25:49We're just going around listening to other guys?
25:52What are you talking about?
25:53So I'm really pushing him away, blowing him off.
25:56At this point, I'm so done.
25:58You do not even exist to me anymore, what you put me through.
26:03Her behavior stokes Steve's jealousy.
26:06Steve has started becoming very controlling.
26:10He didn't want to share her with anybody else.
26:14You could tell he was losing his mind.
26:16Step off, let's go.
26:17Step off, let's go.
26:22What do you mean, what do I mean?
26:23I don't want you at the bar with no other dudes.
26:24You understand me?
26:25Over the next two months, Charise and Steve's new casual relationship
26:29becomes a powder keg of resentment.
26:32The more Charise flirts, the angrier Steve becomes,
26:36especially behind closed doors.
26:39It was more or less like, maybe him pushing me against the wall.
26:43Or, bitch, don't say another word.
26:48Or, him grabbing me.
26:50Or, you know, but I would always fidget my way out of it.
26:54Or get in my car and leave.
26:57Or call Brady.
26:59He's crazy.
27:00It sounds like this is a different side of Steve.
27:03I think he lost it when he knew that there was no more me falling for his crap.
27:07But Charise considers the abuse a small price to pay.
27:14Hey, where you going?
27:15For having absolute power over her man.
27:18Then finally he's done falling around like a little puppy.
27:21And I knew it was going to be trouble then.
27:24Charise might be using her newfound power to make Steve jealous.
27:28But, in truth, Steve is not going to be so much jealous as resentful.
27:33It's most likely that Steve will become even more abusive.
27:37Hello, Steve.
27:38Hey, baby, where you at?
27:40On the night of March 24th, 2009, Charise gets a phone call from Steve asking for a ride.
27:46We were out partying, having a great time, laughing, joking.
27:50He pretty much just gave her an address and said, come get me. I'm at this bar.
27:56Charise agrees to come get him.
28:02How's he doing?
28:03But when she gets to the address, she's shocked to discover it's a strip club.
28:10Instead of stopping, Charise speeds off, leaving Steve outside in the cold.
28:16I was upset. I was pissed off, to be exact.
28:22He's not treating you well.
28:23He's not going to ever treat me well.
28:26And from that point on, it was like, I need to move on.
28:29Was that an eye-opener for you?
28:31It was.
28:39Charise hears her grandmother's voice again and remembers how she was raised.
28:44It was like, enough is enough.
28:47I deserve better. I can do better. I am better.
28:52He had you come pick him up from the strip club?
28:55Back at home, Charise calls Brandy and the two laugh, picturing Steve waiting outside in the cold.
29:01But minutes later, she hears banging at the front door.
29:05Charise!
29:07Charise!
29:09And it's home. Screaming, hollering, drunk, stumbling.
29:15I know you're in there!
29:17And of course, you know, I'm at the point where enough is enough.
29:20I'm not taking anymore.
29:22Open the door!
29:24After months of bottling up her emotions, Charise finally lets Steve have it.
29:29And once the floodgates are open, she can't stop.
29:32I stand up for myself.
29:34And I lay it all out on the line.
29:36Everything.
29:38Some cheating.
29:39Everything.
29:41And he realizes that I'm not playing this time.
29:44I say, you gotta get out. You have to go. Don't come back.
29:47And this time, she vows never to take him back.
29:51We argue, you know, verbally fighting.
29:55The next thing you know, he just grabs me.
29:59But was there something different this time?
30:00Get off of me!
30:02It was more force behind it.
30:05Get off!
30:09Brandy, who is still on the phone, can tell the fight is escalating.
30:13Brandy! Charise!
30:15He was irate.
30:17I can hear through the phone him cursing and screaming.
30:21Get off of me!
30:23My first instinct, send myself.
30:25Get him off of me.
30:27I heard her screaming for him to keep his effing hands off of her.
30:33And, you know, at that point in time, I decided I'm calling the police.
30:39He just got his hands around my neck.
30:44And he's squeezing.
30:46And I can't get him off.
30:47Emergency, what is the problem?
30:49My friend Charise Keynes is being beat up by her boyfriend Steven Mitchell.
30:54I can't breathe.
30:57My vision is getting blurred.
30:59Everything's going dark.
31:02I panic.
31:04The only thing I could think of was grab something.
31:07Anything just to help me.
31:10I ended up paying some scissors.
31:11Charise and Steve's on-again, off-again relationship has been on a collision course for months.
31:32When Charise finally decides to end it for good, Steve snaps.
31:38Charise grabs the closest thing she can to get him off of her.
31:41A pair of scissors.
31:47Damn, you crazy bitch!
31:48Charise kicks into survival mode.
31:51How many times did you swing them?
31:53Maybe about five or six.
31:55But he let go of your neck.
31:56He let go.
31:58When he got off of me, it was like...
32:01You know, I was trying to catch myself.
32:03My body was so heavy.
32:04I couldn't really stand Pharrell.
32:07You know, it was just, it was like he took all the life out of me.
32:10And it was scary.
32:11I thought I was dying.
32:13Hello?
32:15It was like a relief.
32:17And I thought they were there to help me.
32:21Officers take one look at Steve and call for an ambulance.
32:25I was covered in blood.
32:26I was just laying in bed.
32:27He's lying!
32:28Ma'am!
32:29Ma'am, I need you to sit down!
32:30Sit down!
32:31You know, I told him, I said, he almost choked the life out of me.
32:35Based on what they see, police believe Steve's story.
32:39Ma'am, I need you to stand up, please.
32:41And arrest Charise.
32:43What?
32:44I said, well, can I talk?
32:46They say, no, you shut up.
32:48There's a name in his house, are you serious?
32:49While Steve takes a ride to the emergency room, Charise is booked at the Pittsburgh County Jail.
32:58Charise was charged with aggravated assault, causing bodily injury with a deadly weapon.
33:02And that carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years incarceration.
33:08Hey, Charise, this is Brandy. I'm calling you again.
33:11Brandy hasn't been able to reach Charise since calling 911.
33:15When she turns on the TV.
33:19What?
33:20Lo and behold, my friend's face is plastered across the news.
33:24And I'm like, are you kidding me?
33:26What are they arresting her for?
33:27I was very shocked because I was the person who called the police.
33:31I let them know that he was attacking her.
33:34Steve's friends at the bar are also in shock.
33:38Everybody felt bad for Steve.
33:39Let me say it that way.
33:41Everybody likes Steve.
33:42He was nice to everybody.
33:44He had a big heart.
33:48For the next six agonizing days, Charise sits in her cell wondering if Steve will survive.
33:54The whole time I was in jail, he was still in critical care.
33:57And I just was praying that he would be okay.
33:59He pulled through.
34:03One week after the fight, Charise hears that Steve has been released from the hospital.
34:07The next day, they're both called into court for a preliminary hearing.
34:12Charise's stomach is in knots.
34:15She's scared of facing Steve and terrified that he'll accuse her of trying to kill him.
34:20But Steve has had a change of heart.
34:22He didn't look at me like you bitch, like you, you know.
34:27It was like, I'm sorry.
34:30He told them that he didn't want to press charges.
34:32He don't want anything to do with it.
34:34Now, in my opinion, there's not necessarily an innocent and injured party.
34:38And he has his own legal problems that were stemming out of this incident.
34:43Your Honor, it's the state's position to proceed with the prosecution in this matter.
34:48But the state decides to take up the case anyway.
34:51And a trial date is set for the following April.
34:54In the meantime, Charise is released from jail without bail.
35:02She tried to make sense of what happened and figure out how to put her life back together.
35:08While I was in jail, I lost my job.
35:12I got kicked out of school because I missed so many days that I couldn't stop crying.
35:16To numb the pain, she turns to her favorite pastime, hitting the bars with Brandy.
35:29Me and Brandy, we're back to being Brandy and Charise.
35:33We go to have cocktails.
35:37This time, Charise decides not to tempt fate and picks a bar across town.
35:43Charise is flirting up a storm when Brandy gets her attention.
35:48What's wrong?
35:50Guess who's here?
35:52She sees Steve.
35:54Don't play with me, Brandy.
35:56Little does she know, he's been hunting her down since she was released from jail a month ago.
36:01Had you seen him since court?
36:03I didn't. And you know what? He doesn't even normally hang out in that bar.
36:07So him coming to that bar was like, he's coming looking for me.
36:10He was stalking me.
36:12He didn't know what to do with his broken heart.
36:15He chased her, trying to make it better, but it just made it worse.
36:19He went on a war path.
36:21I thought he was going to lose his mind.
36:23It's obvious that Steve still carries a torch for Charise, but she's not having it.
36:28Charise, what's going on?
36:30He started calling this slut and he's worried about me.
36:34You're stalking me now?
36:35Can't I see that he loves me?
36:36I'm like, Steve, you don't love me. Leave me alone. If you love me, you'll leave me alone.
36:41Steve goes before the court and insists that it was an accident that he doesn't want to press charges.
36:48When he sees Charise in the bar, he perceives she's ungrateful for what he did for her.
36:53And it makes him completely crazy.
36:55So he kind of didn't grasp the concept that she no longer wanted to be with him.
37:01Don't you think you should do this another time?
37:03I'll do it where I want to do it, all right?
37:04He still wanted to be with Charise.
37:06He was very much in some type of twisted love affair in his own mind.
37:10Look, you need to chill.
37:11I think you need to chill. You need to get up out of here.
37:13Brandy can't keep Steve's temper under control.
37:16What if this is my problem?
37:17Brandy, she's like, hold up. You know, she went to security.
37:20They came and told him he had to go.
37:26An hour later, Charise leaves the bar to grab a jacket from her car and gets an unwelcome surprise.
37:37Steve is back, and he's in a blind rage.
37:41He hops in my car, so I'm startled. I'm like, oh, my God.
37:45He was like, drive, bitch.
37:47I thought he was going to make me drive him to an alleyway somewhere.
37:50I saw he already had it all planned out, and he was going to kill me.
37:55I was scared.
37:57He just started going off, calling me all types of names, and tells me he hates me.
38:02Then I reached down, grabbed it.
38:04After stabbing her boyfriend, Steve, during a fight, Charise Gaines is now trying to move on with her life.
38:24But Steve wants her back, at any cost.
38:29Drive!
38:30Fortunately, Charise is well-armed with mace.
38:33Ah!
38:34Ah!
38:35Ah!
38:37I emptied a whole can, and I didn't stop.
38:41Ah!
38:42Ah!
38:43Spreading the mace hit me.
38:44Ah!
38:46Charise tells Brandy what happened, while Steve, blinded by the mace, stumbles out of the car.
38:52Well, I just had to mace Steve.
38:55What?
38:56Yes!
38:57She knows what Steve's capable of.
38:58I don't know what to do.
38:59I don't want to go back home.
39:00And asks bar security for help.
39:01You stay here.
39:02They case the block, but there's no sign of Steve anywhere.
39:09Later that night, when it's time to head home, Brandy leaves the bar first to make sure the coast is clear.
39:18As she gets ready to drive away, her stomach drops.
39:21We're down the window.
39:22We're down the window!
39:23We're down the window!
39:24Call Charise.
39:25I rolled down the window, and pretended like I didn't know what was going on.
39:28And he said, call Charise out here, or I'm going to kill you.
39:31Call Charise!
39:32Steve, what's going on?
39:33Why you got a gun?
39:34You kick into self-preservation mode, and you start thinking of things that you never thought you would think of.
39:41And you become very crafty, and that's pretty much what happened.
39:44I'm going to call her.
39:45It's cool.
39:46Hurry up!
39:47Hurry up!
39:48Brandy makes the call, but not to Charise.
39:50Hello?
39:51I doubt 9-1-1.
39:53Emergency.
39:54What is the problem?
39:55I said, Charise Gaines, if you do not get out here, Steven is going to kill me.
40:00And I'm like, okay, if you're going to kill me, they're going to know exactly who did it.
40:04First 9-1-1 operator did not catch one.
40:06What is your location?
40:07And then finally she realized that I was giving her a description of who was attacking me, and I needed help immediately.
40:14He's going to kill me.
40:15Say it again, I'm going to kill you.
40:17Steve has no idea who Brandy is talking to, but his patience has worn thin.
40:22You know what?
40:23Yes!
40:24She's coming!
40:25He turns towards Charise's car and takes aim.
40:27You hear all types of gunshots, maybe about 12 gunshots, maybe.
40:35Good thing I didn't leave, because I believe he would have killed me.
40:39The 9-1-1 operator asked me, she said, are you okay?
40:42I said, I'm fine.
40:43And all of a sudden, he takes off.
40:49He was right here shooting up the car.
40:51Police arrive minutes later, but by then, Steve is long gone.
40:55He told me to call her, otherwise he was going to kill me.
40:58A warrant is issued for his arrest.
41:03While police search for Steve, Charise decides to move out of the neighborhood.
41:10She's convinced it's only a matter of time before Steve comes looking for her.
41:17One month later, police catch Steve.
41:20I was definitely relieved, you know, because at that point in time,
41:23I didn't know where he was going to be, where he was going to pop up.
41:31In April 2010, Charise returns to court to face charges for stabbing Steve.
41:36But when the court learns of his pending assault case, they drop all charges.
41:40Case is dropping all charges.
41:41Case dismissed.
41:42I couldn't see a jury, or even a judge, seeing this as something other than self-defense.
41:49It's the best resolution.
41:55Steve isn't so lucky.
41:57Eight months later, in December 2010, he pleads guilty to shooting up Charise's car.
42:01The state sentences Steve Mitchell to eight years in the penitentiary.
42:06He is sent to state prison for the next four to eight years.
42:10Do you worry about a few years from now when he gets out?
42:13I did.
42:14I moved.
42:16I moved to the suburbs far away.
42:19And nobody knows where I live at.
42:20But Steve's friends say the only thing Steve's really guilty of is being in love.
42:27If he was a mean-spirited person, he'd have put her in jail when she got at him like he was a fish.
42:34But he didn't.
42:36And he still tried to get with her.
42:39That just goes to show how much he cared.
42:42So they can't make Steve into a villain.
42:45He's just a man with a broken heart.
42:46The end of the story with Steve really brought Charise full circle.
42:52And brought home all of the lessons her grandmother had always tried to impart.
42:56That she is her own woman.
42:57She does not need any man or any relationship to define her.
43:04Charise has gotten her life back on track.
43:07She has a good job as a physician's assistant and is focused on her future.
43:12It's a life her grandmother would have wanted for her.
43:14You have a man in your life right now?
43:17No.
43:19Doesn't sound like you're looking for one either.
43:20I'm not.
43:22Is Charise in charge of Charise?
43:23Yes she is.
43:24And I'm just living my life.
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