Skip to playerSkip to main content
Terra.Anatolia
  • 7 hours ago
Transcript
00:00love of her life. Hell no! It almost destroyed her because her husband was her first love.
00:06She rebounds into the arms of an old friend. I just want to feel some sense of connection to
00:14something or somebody. Mama, why are you just now telling me this? I just... Only to have the
00:19relationship torn apart by secrets. I'm here. She thinks she's finally found the one. This man is
00:29easy to die for. What's wrong with you? But when her dream man drinks, he turns into the devil. When he
00:35kicked me, I went kapaya. It's a fight to the finish. I've seen this look in the eyes, man. I ain't never
00:43seen it before. Come here. I don't want you. Not all fairy tales have happy endings. When love goes
00:55wrong, a woman can do the unthinkable.
01:0814-year-old Michelle Banks lives in Jackson, Mississippi.
01:13My grandparents lived out in the country. We go up there every weekend, ride horses, pick plums,
01:20move, go fishing.
01:28In high school, Michelle's got an outgoing personality and lots of friends.
01:34I liked high school. High school was fun.
01:37She's also got big dreams.
01:40I wanted to dance. I wanted to sing and entertain. I wanted to go to Juilliard.
01:43So did Juilliard.
01:48Hello. Hi.
01:50Michelle, right? Yeah, Michelle.
01:52During her junior year, she meets a handsome young jock named Robert.
01:56I've seen you around school.
01:58Have you? Yeah. Maybe you want to get a bite to eat sometime?
02:02Like a date? Yeah, exactly.
02:03Yeah, exactly.
02:04Her heart skips a beat.
02:06Sure.
02:07He was very charming, good-looking. He had a nice physique.
02:18A romance quickly blossoms and the couple falls head over heels in love.
02:23Six months later, on Michelle's 17th birthday, Robert tells her he's got a surprise for her.
02:38What?
02:40You know I love you more than anything, right?
02:42It's like, I really love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
02:47I want you to marry me.
02:49Michelle is giddy with excitement, even though she's only 17.
02:54To me, it doesn't matter about the age or anything.
02:56If two people love each other, I think you're married.
03:00But she does insist that they wait until after graduation.
03:06Dr. Casey Jordan studies criminal behavior.
03:10There's a big difference between high school puppy love and committing to someone for the rest of your life.
03:15Kids just don't have the experience or maturity to handle the responsibilities and pressures that come with getting married.
03:24Michelle's parents think she's too young to get married.
03:29But despite their objections, she and Robert say, I do, the following summer.
03:35Just days after the wedding, Robert enlists in the army and is sent to Virginia for basic training.
03:41Michelle stays at home with her parents and takes classes at a community college.
03:48I thought, I'm married now.
03:51Juilliard is out.
03:53Hollywood is out.
03:55Maybe I should go to college and do something.
03:57But her heart's not in it.
03:59Hey, baby.
04:01So when Robert gets his first duty assignment overseas, Michelle can't wait to go.
04:06We're going to Germany.
04:07Germany?
04:08Germany?
04:09Yes.
04:10I'm getting out of here.
04:15Even though it's a huge culture shock, Michelle fully embraces her new life overseas and couldn't be happier.
04:23I loved it over there. It's beautiful.
04:26I went to Prague. I went to Salzburg, Austria.
04:30Your face lights up. These are good memories.
04:31Mm-hmm.
04:33In August of 1986, Michelle and Robert welcome a healthy baby boy into the world.
04:40They name him Tyrell.
04:42He was the most beautiful thing. I was like, wow, from me? From Robert? From us? Wow.
04:51Many women might cave under the pressure of getting married so young and then moving overseas and having a baby.
04:57Michelle is thriving.
05:00Hopefully, the responsibilities that come with being a parent are going to strengthen that bond that she and Robert share, rather than drive a wedge between them.
05:07Over the next five years, they give Tyrell two little sisters, Brianna and Karan.
05:15It was an exciting time. I learned a lot. I was learning to speak German.
05:21The couple has now been married and living in Germany for eight years.
05:25Life as a military wife and mother seems to fit Michelle like a glove.
05:36The American dream, the marriage, the kids, the car, the cute little house with the little dog.
05:41But Robert suddenly starts coming home late almost every night.
05:55Where you been?
05:57Get off my ass, Michelle.
05:59Robert, I asked you a question.
06:01It just started off like maybe an hour, hour and a half, two hours.
06:05Then it started to get to be four or five hours. You're not coming home until 10, 11 o'clock at night.
06:09Me and the kids waiting for you.
06:12I got a lot of nerves.
06:13You just never show up.
06:14I have a right to know where you are because if she was on the other foot, I think you wouldn't know where I am.
06:19I gotta take a shower, man. Fix me a plate.
06:21Michelle's hurt by Robert's callous behavior.
06:30The next day, she decides to drop by her good friend Chrissy's house for some advice.
06:35On the way there, she's startled to see Robert's car parked outside a stranger's house.
06:44So I'm looking around. I'm like, okay, my husband must be over here.
06:48Instinctively, she walks over and puts her hand on the car.
06:52The hood is warm. He just pulled up there. And I was like, okay, something going down. Everybody, okay, everybody got to be got.
07:03Michelle's got a feeling she's about to discover why Robert's been coming home late.
07:07Robert's been coming home late.
07:08Robert, you better open up this door before I call an MP.
07:10Robert, you better open up this door before I call an MP.
07:11Michelle Evans is seeing red. She's just spotted her husband Robert's car parked in a stranger's driveway when he's supposed to be at work.
07:36Robert, you better open up this door before I call an MP.
07:43Michelle tries the handle. The door's unlocked. She lets herself in.
07:49All the doors are closed. Like on Let's Make a Deal.
08:00Michelle goes stealth.
08:04The sounds of soft music lead her to a room at the end of a hallway where she hears voices.
08:10And then I just go, boom. I just push the door open. And they just .
08:18She finds Robert half naked with a woman she's never seen before.
08:23I have rights to him spiritually, legally, mentally, emotionally, physically, every other illy you could think of.
08:31Michelle's in a blind rage.
08:33You have violated me and my family, so now I have to violate you.
08:38Michelle!
08:40Stop, Robert!
08:41I grabbed over her. I mean, and I just pulled my hands and I just . I had to.
08:46How'd it feel?
08:47It felt good. Is that bad? I mean, bad felt good.
08:52Robert breaks up the fight.
08:55Get out of here!
08:57Get out of here!
08:58Slow down!
08:59Chill!
09:00What?
09:01Look at yourself! What are you doing?
09:02You're crazy!
09:03He finally comes clean and admits he's been having an affair.
09:07What do you mean?
09:08I want out of this marriage.
09:10Our marriage is over and I want a divorce.
09:12I was like, how could you do this to me? How could you just throw it all away?
09:16Then, Robert deals Michelle yet another devastating blow.
09:21Going to Kuwait.
09:23In two weeks, Robert is being shipped off to Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Storm.
09:29Are you serious right now?
09:31And he's not coming back for three years.
09:34This is hard for me too!
09:36I'm like, this can't be it. What if he goes over there and dies?
09:39I have no closure, no healing, no answers, no nothing.
09:43The sting of Robert's betrayal cuts her to the core.
09:46He is Michelle's first love.
09:48She dedicated her life to this marriage and to this family,
09:51and now it's being ripped apart.
09:54Only time will tell if she is strong enough to work through all this hurt and rejection.
09:59I just became very, very depressed and detached from everything.
10:05Robert ships off without so much as a goodbye.
10:09I think it devastated her deeply.
10:14It almost destroyed her because her husband was her first love.
10:18Pastor Ruthie, it's just really hard, you know, and I try to hold on.
10:26Left behind in Germany with her three young children, Michelle turns to scripture for spiritual guidance.
10:33I was getting counseling through a pastor, and she was really awesome.
10:37You're gonna empower so many women by your strength.
10:40One prayer at a time, she climbs out of the abyss that is her misery.
10:45Yes, well you know I gotta do it for my babies.
10:48So I just have some paperwork for you to sign.
10:54Michelle finds a job on the military base and is quickly promoted to an esteemed position handling encrypted files for the Pentagon.
11:02I know it can be so hectic sometimes.
11:04She was strong and she believed I can do this and I can make it on my own.
11:08And I admire her for that.
11:10She buries herself in her work and raising her kids.
11:15But deep down, Michelle still hopes that she and Robert will patch things up one day.
11:21That was my husband.
11:23I loved him despite his flaws.
11:26I'm a romanticist, so I truly believe that true love can overcome anything if you want it to.
11:37That belief is put to the test when Robert shows up at her doorstep in Germany unannounced.
11:44It's been nearly two years with almost no communication.
11:52We just looked at each other.
11:54He started walking towards me.
11:55I walked towards him and then he just hugged me.
11:57He didn't kiss me or anything.
11:58He just kept holding me like this.
12:01How'd it feel?
12:02It felt really good.
12:04Baby, what are you doing here?
12:06When I was overseas, I got some bad news.
12:09Robert's father has passed away from cancer.
12:14He's been granted emergency leave so he can attend the funeral back in Mississippi.
12:19Michelle is in a vulnerable position.
12:22Although she's gotten over the pain of Robert leaving her, she has never stopped loving him.
12:27By letting him back into her life, she now runs the risk of getting betrayed by him again.
12:31And that might be too much for her to handle.
12:37The estranged couple heads back to Mississippi to attend the funeral together.
12:41Okay.
12:43After the service, Robert tells Michelle he wants his family back and a chance to make things right.
12:50And I miss you, baby.
12:51Really?
12:52You do?
12:53Really?
12:54But wait, the last thing you heard from him is he's divorcing you.
12:59This has to play havoc with your emotions.
13:01It does because I'm like, okay, you're sending me mixed signals.
13:06Michelle decides to forgive Robert in hopes of saving their marriage.
13:11I wanted my children to have their father and I needed my husband.
13:14And I believe in miracles.
13:19Michelle's faith pays off.
13:22After he completes his tour in Kuwait, Robert is transferred to a military base in Mississippi.
13:28And the family moves into a new home.
13:31Things were going really good.
13:33I mean, it's almost like when we got back together, it was better than it was before.
13:38And with God's help, that's all we need.
13:41That's all we need.
13:42I introduced him to my new walk.
13:44We started going to Bible study.
13:45We started going to counseling.
13:47We started just a whole new life.
13:54Unfortunately, the move back to the States wasn't so good for Michelle's career.
13:59The best she can manage is a series of temp jobs.
14:04And trouble starts brewing at home.
14:08According to Michelle, ever since Robert's come back from Kuwait, he spends most of his free time knocking back cold ones.
14:16So you drunk, huh?
14:17Nobody drunk?
14:18Yeah.
14:19You reeking alcohol.
14:20I smelled it.
14:21You walking through the door.
14:22Every time I come home.
14:23She claims history starts to repeat itself.
14:25I smell perfume on you.
14:26Don't smell no perfume on me.
14:27Yes, I do, and it ain't mine.
14:28Of course it ain't.
14:29I remember stopping them.
14:30No, you're going to give me some answers.
14:31This is my house.
14:32Back off.
14:33According to Michelle, the argument escalates.
14:34We're yelling, screaming, and just fighting, tearing up the house.
14:35I remember him pushing me by the throat up against the dish drain.
14:38Don't you ever put your hands on me.
14:39My dad used to come home drunk all the time.
14:45He used to abuse her real bad when he drinks.
14:48And I remember grabbing this knife.
14:55used to come home drunk all the time. He used to abuse her real bad when he drinks.
15:00And I remember grabbing this knife.
15:04Michelle!
15:05Whoa, whoa, whoa!
15:06Come here! Come here! Come here!
15:07Come here!
15:08Ah!
15:09Ah!
15:10Ah!
15:11Ah!
15:12Ah!
15:13Ah!
15:14Ah!
15:15Ah!
15:16Ah!
15:17Ah!
15:18Ah!
15:19Ah!
15:20Ah!
15:2133-year-old Michelle Evans has devoted nearly half of her life to her husband, Robert.
15:26Oh, hell no!
15:28I smell perfume on you.
15:29You don't smell no perfume.
15:31But when she suspects him of cheating again, she decides to teach him a lesson with a steak
15:37knife.
15:38Shut up!
15:39I will cut you.
15:40Everybody got a breaking point.
15:41She let it all loose at once.
15:43All the feelings, all the stuff that happened in the past to the present, she just cracked.
15:47Shut up!
15:48But before she does something she'll regret...
15:51Stop.
15:54Ugh!
15:55Crazy!
15:56Michelle comes to her senses.
15:58I just put the knife down.
16:01You know, it's just like a cum came out, don't do it.
16:04Michelle realizes her marriage to Robert is beyond repair.
16:08I put my blood, sweat and tears into that marriage and you broke it.
16:13And I just didn't have anything else left to give.
16:16She files for divorce the very next day.
16:17For Michelle, the pain from the end of her marriage is about to magnify threefold.
16:31I'm awarding full custody of the children.
16:35In a shocking turn of events, the judge grants Robert full custody of their children.
16:40Sir, your honor, please.
16:42You can't do this.
16:43I told the judge, I said, please don't take my kids.
16:46If you take my children, I would die.
16:48That's what keeps me going.
16:49If you take them, I have nothing.
16:50I don't believe that you're in a position to support these children financially.
16:55I promise, I'm looking.
16:56He didn't want to hear anything I have to say.
16:58He was the devil.
16:59I made my decision.
17:00Up to now, Michelle has taken the blows that life has dealt her on the chin.
17:05Her kids are her world.
17:07And without them, she feels completely alone.
17:10She'll try to numb herself any way she can.
17:13But that could lead to more devastating consequences if she's not careful.
17:17Michelle's left with limited visitation with her kids.
17:25She feels like she's hit rock bottom.
17:29Then, out of the blue, a man from her past reaches out to her.
17:33Hey, stranger.
17:34Guess who?
17:35Oh, hey, Kenan.
17:38Kenan was my best friend.
17:41He was also her favorite cousin.
17:44They used to hang out as children.
17:46We were always off away, playing, doing things away from everybody else.
17:51We were very, very close.
17:53Like soul mates or something.
17:55What is it?
17:57They're so close that one day he told her something that will haunt her forever.
18:02I got a secret that you don't know.
18:05You don't know any secrets that I don't know.
18:07He was like, I know some secrets.
18:10You know what little kids do?
18:11And I said, okay, tell me.
18:13You know you can tell me any secret.
18:15And he was like, I'm not your cousin.
18:20And I was like, sure.
18:22If your mom and my mom are sisters, you have to be my cousin.
18:25And he was like, but I'm not.
18:28And I said, well, what are you?
18:29He said, you better go talk to your mom.
18:31I wasn't supposed to say anything anyway.
18:32I wasn't supposed to say anything anyway.
18:33Kenan had no idea he was hitting a nerve.
18:36Michelle always suspected that she was adopted.
18:49And I used to question them about it.
18:51What's wrong?
18:53She would say, um, you're ours.
18:55We love you.
18:56You're mine.
18:57Okay.
18:58When Michelle asked about Kenan, she got another vague response.
19:03Kenan said that we weren't cousins.
19:05Why would he say something like that?
19:08I don't know.
19:09She's left wondering.
19:11So don't listen to what Kenan says, all right?
19:15It's really good to hear your voice.
19:17Wow.
19:18Michelle hasn't seen Kenan in ages.
19:21Well, you know, hey, I'm around.
19:23You know, if you're in town, yeah, let's hook up.
19:26They make plans to get together and catch up.
19:29Okay, bye-bye.
19:38Hey, stranger.
19:39Kenan, hey.
19:41Oh, my God.
19:42How are you?
19:43I'm good.
19:44I'm better now.
19:45It's so good to see you.
19:46It's good to see you.
19:47Oh, my God.
19:48Look at you.
19:49You look great.
19:50It's like we didn't miss a beat.
19:51It's been rough.
19:52You know, I'm divorced now.
19:54Michelle's eager to unload her emotional baggage,
19:58and Kenan's happy to help shoulder the weight.
20:01Whatever you need, I get it.
20:03I appreciate that.
20:04Hey.
20:05I was having these breakdowns, these crying spills.
20:08I remember him just consoling me, talking to me.
20:11Beautiful as ever.
20:13Aw, thank you.
20:15Michelle claims talking turns to touching, but she hesitates.
20:20No, we're cousins.
20:22We were raised as cousins.
20:23What happened with all this with you was my cousin.
20:26We're not really cousins.
20:27Kenan reassures her.
20:29And how can you be so sure?
20:30I'm positive.
20:31Just started telling me, you know, I always thought you were very pretty.
20:34I thought you were beautiful.
20:35You're smart.
20:36You're gorgeous.
20:37We always had this thing for each other.
20:39I need you.
20:40You need me.
20:41Really?
20:42Yes.
20:43Kenan is very persuasive, and Michelle can't resist.
20:47At this point, I don't even care.
20:49I done lost everything.
20:50I just want to feel some sense of connection to something or somebody.
21:00What's new?
21:03Well, I'm kind of seeing somebody now.
21:10You are?
21:11Don't tell me about him.
21:13Me and Kenan started dating a few weeks ago.
21:17No.
21:18No, absolutely not.
21:21She was like, you've got to be kidding me.
21:24And I'm thinking, okay, here we go.
21:26You're just trying to control who I see it.
21:28He's your relative.
21:30She was like, you know y'all are related.
21:32I said, okay, we're back to that again.
21:33I've never seen no proof.
21:35You've never told me.
21:36I've asked you a thousand times.
21:37And I've asked everybody in the family.
21:39Everybody's so hush-hush.
21:40You guys are playing with my life.
21:42I'm grown.
21:43I can do what I want to do.
21:44I can see who I want to see.
21:46Finally, her mother confirms what Michelle suspected all along.
21:50She has this document, and she tosses it in.
21:54I'm like, what the hell is this?
21:56Those are your adoption papers.
21:59Her mother is actually her aunt.
22:02But then she learns a far more shocking truth.
22:05What do you mean me and Kenan, Mama?
22:07You and Kenan are brother and sister.
22:10What? Yes.
22:11Kenan is her biological brother.
22:14I thought I would die.
22:16They were both adopted by family members when their birth mother couldn't take care of them.
22:21Yes.
22:22Mama, why are you just now telling me this?
22:24Everyone in Michelle's family knew the truth all along.
22:28Does he know this?
22:29Yes.
22:30Oh.
22:31Everyone except Michelle.
22:33Kenan knew you were his sister.
22:35He did.
22:36The betrayal from your mom is one thing.
22:39And it's big and it's deep.
22:41Mm-hmm.
22:42But from Kenan.
22:43Mom, this is messed up.
22:45I'm leaving.
22:46If Michelle's aunt told her the truth when she was a child, she could have processed the news and accepted it.
22:51But now, it's going to be nearly impossible for Michelle to let her guard down and trust anyone ever again.
22:59The revelation nearly destroys her.
23:02Michelle retreats and cuts off all contact with the outside world.
23:14But Michelle claims Kenan wears her down.
23:17And a week later, she decides to meet him so she can confront him.
23:21Hey, glad you made it.
23:23What's wrong?
23:24Well, let's just say I found out.
23:27You found out what?
23:28That you're really my brother, Kenan.
23:31I asked him, I said, but yet you knew, but you still pursued me.
23:34Why did you do that?
23:35Because it's sick.
23:36His answer to me was, because I didn't know you as a sister.
23:41To me, you're just a woman.
23:43There was an attraction as a beautiful woman.
23:45That's all I saw.
23:46No, but you knew all this time.
23:48According to Michelle, her rejection sends Kenan into a red hot rage.
23:53I don't do stuff like this, Kenan.
23:55This is wrong.
23:56It's not wrong.
23:57You're wrong.
23:58What is he telling me?
23:59We love each other.
24:00No.
24:01He starts yelling and screaming at me, embarrassing me in the place.
24:03I'm like, okay, I'm leaving.
24:05I'm not listening.
24:06I'm leaving.
24:07You're not going anywhere.
24:08I'm talking to you.
24:09Don't you walk away from me.
24:11Don't you walk away.
24:12As he pushes me, I fall back.
24:14Don't you tell me what you're doing.
24:17So you have an actual physical slugfest fight.
24:20Mm-hmm.
24:21Face it over me.
24:22I'm coming back.
24:27Over the next few days, Kenan calls incessantly, trying to apologize.
24:37But Michelle wants nothing to do with him.
24:40Open the door.
24:41She claims he shows up at her apartment in the dead of night.
24:48Michelle, open the door or I'm going to kick this bitch down.
24:51Michelle's terrified.
24:53She no longer knows what Kenan's capable of.
24:56I got to get out of the state.
24:58My life is in danger.
25:00If I stay here, I'm going to die.
25:02Open the damn door.
25:05Michelle Evans finds solace with her old friend Kenan after losing her kids in an ugly divorce.
25:19Don't.
25:20But when she learns a horrifying truth.
25:23You and Kenan are brother and sister.
25:25She tries to end the relationship, but Kenan won't let her go.
25:30Open the damn door.
25:32As hard as it is for Michelle to leave her children behind, she grabs a map of the United States and decides her fate.
25:40Then I zoomed in and where my finger was, I opened my eyes, I said, that's where I'm going.
25:45Michigan, clean start, fresh slate, I don't know anyone.
25:48Leaving her future in the hands of the universe could be a good thing for Michelle.
25:53In the past, she has let other people control her destiny.
25:57But by throwing caution to the wind, she is taking a brave step forward in hopes of starting over.
26:06With nothing but a backpack and a Bible, Michelle heads to the bus station the next morning.
26:13She escapes on a bus headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan.
26:16She lands a job as a bank teller, rents a small apartment, and settles into her new life.
26:28For the next 15 years, Michelle focuses on getting her life back on track.
26:33Then one day, she randomly runs into an old friend.
26:37I see this lady, and she said, don't I know you? I see you look familiar too.
26:42I said, Michelle, do you remember me? I'm Maggie.
26:47She said, oh my God.
26:50Yes, of course.
26:52Maggie and Michelle are from the same town in Mississippi and went to the same high school.
26:56She said, so where are you staying? And I told her, she said, you're directly across the hall from me.
27:01I said, no way, way.
27:03She was like, we got to catch up. Yeah, you should be here any minute.
27:06Wow, this is such a trip. Small world.
27:08Maggie was on her way to meet her younger brother, Charles.
27:12Here he is.
27:14Wow.
27:15How are you?
27:16Hi.
27:17He secretly carried a torch for Michelle when they were in high school.
27:21I used to see her all the time, I'd say, man, I like that girl, I like that girl.
27:24But I never had the courage to come up to her and say anything.
27:28I always had a crush.
27:30I didn't even know you were interested in me. He said, oh baby, I was interested.
27:35Charles is determined not to make the same mistake again.
27:39Can I get your phone number? Because I don't want you to get away.
27:42Say God brought us together after all this time.
27:44It's a sign.
27:45Let me just say this. I'm really not looking for a relationship, Charles.
27:49Michelle is flattered, but given the traumas of her past, she's sworn off men.
27:54Let me just put that out there. But I can use male friend.
27:58It is. See you later. Bye-bye.
28:00What are you going to do with that number?
28:03Oh, yeah.
28:04Charles wastes no time. He calls her the next day.
28:11Would you like to go to lunch?
28:13Uh, you know what? No, it's okay. Not today.
28:16So he was like, I'm already outside.
28:18You are?
28:19And I said, oh, so you just knew I was going. He said, I didn't know, but I was hoping.
28:26All right. Well, let me get my purse and I'll be down in a few minutes.
28:31Bye-bye.
28:32I thought it was adorable. He was like, your chariot awaits.
28:36When she steps outside, Charles is waiting like a lovestruck chauffeur.
28:40I'm glad.
28:42He's a gentleman, and he opens the door for me, and I get in the car, and we ride off.
28:53The impromptu date is the first of many over the next few weeks.
28:58There was a lot of good times. Lots of good times.
29:02I mean, we used to spend laughing, talk about anything, everything.
29:06Charles feels so close to her, he shares a painful truth.
29:11That he lost his right leg ten years earlier to a blood clot.
29:18Despite his prosthetic leg, Charles is a pretty good dancer.
29:21We love music. He used to DJ. I used to dance. Oh, my God.
29:28Dancer and a DJ. We just click.
29:33Things are going great, but Michelle still has her guard up.
29:37Okay, and I'm just really, I'm not for no mess, Charles.
29:41I told him I got to take it slow. Don't lie to me. Don't cheat on me.
29:45Don't put chains on me. Baby, you'll get hurt, because the stuff I done been through,
29:49I'm liable to snap, go up one side of you and down the other.
29:51You don't want to mess with me.
29:53Charles heeds her warning, and he's rewarded with a kiss.
29:58Man, that was beautiful, man. That was beautiful.
30:00I seen stars and flashing lights and everything that night.
30:08It's not long before Charles asks Michelle to move in with him.
30:12She accepts.
30:14He cooked for me, wouldn't let me buy groceries, not pay a bill.
30:18He just took care of me.
30:22I want you to take your pills, okay?
30:24You have to stay on top of this, baby.
30:26We cannot have you having blood clots again, all right?
30:29Michelle cares for him by making sure he takes his blood thinner medication
30:33to prevent future clots, like the one that cost him his leg.
30:38She helped me through a lot, man.
30:40She helped me, I helped her, you know.
30:42The couple is happy, and Michelle feels as though she's treated like a queen.
30:49You're my king.
30:51But Charles has never recovered from the psychological trauma of losing his leg.
31:02I was devastated just to think about it right now.
31:05I mean, it hurt me to think about it.
31:06My body part is gone.
31:08It's gone forever.
31:10Michelle claims he's been self-medicating with alcohol for years.
31:15At first, he manages to hide his drinking from Michelle.
31:19Hey, baby.
31:20Hey.
31:21Hey, how are you?
31:22Hey, I'm okay.
31:23I'm all right.
31:24Good.
31:25How was your day?
31:26I was hurting real bad, you know.
31:27Could nobody feel my pain?
31:28Nobody knew what I was going through.
31:29Have you been drinking?
31:30Drinking?
31:31But as they spend more time together, his mask of sobriety starts to slip.
31:32For just a little bit.
31:33Just had one beer, you know.
31:34Okay.
31:35I'll talk to you later.
31:36Okay.
31:37Okay.
31:54Charles.
31:57Much to Michelle's horror, a familiar pattern starts to emerge.
32:01Baby, get up.
32:02Come on, wake up.
32:03Come on.
32:04He starts hanging out, partying all the time.
32:06all the time you stand out later and later oh let me go sleep your drunk ass in the charity
32:12michelle claims he's so drunk he calls an ex-girlfriend right in front of her
32:18baby i've been thinking about you baby oh hell no excuse me who are you on the floor is this
32:26you don't even realize you're so drunk that i'm beside you i'm like are you kidding me
32:34you done lost your damn mind i used to have blackouts because i'd be so i'd be so drunk man
32:41he don't remember nothing he's done or said when he's drinking the shouting match quickly escalates
32:49he take this candle holder and sling it at me i was like did you just throw that at me
32:56okay so i left i didn't have to think about it i mean i just left
33:01michelle takes off and calls maggie to vent maggie says michelle isn't the first of her
33:09brother's girlfriends to witness his dark side the other girlfriend he beat her up she come
33:16on my house had black eyes crying yeah he got a prostate lead but he could fight
33:24when he is sober he is every woman's dream i mean this man is is to die for i mean seriously
33:35but when you put a drop of liquor in him it's like you are looking face to face with the devil
33:41she decides to give him another chance
33:45then a week later when it seems things are back on track the devil shows his face
33:57who was drinking that me and a couple friends of mine we had drunk a lot too that day it was just
34:02one yeah it smelled like you was throwing them back come on baby then charles has a sudden craving
34:08for nicotine please you know what it's really late right now and i just don't feel like it
34:14according to michelle since he's drunk she reluctantly agrees to go to the store
34:18when she gets back from the cigarette run she realizes she didn't take her keys
34:32she knocks no answer i rang the doorbell one time ding dong
34:39she finally tries calling charles
34:45and still no answer is he dead on the sofa did something terrible happen why can't you reach him
34:53because he's on the phone how do you know this i'll see you on the phone i can't wait either
35:02oh i gotta go the phone goes on the table i'm sitting here watching you
35:09i'm watching you
35:11who are you talking to when charles finally answers the door michelle's a lit fuse ready to blow
35:20you ain't answering who you on the phone with he was like bitch you want to fight don't you
35:25what's wrong with you are you crazy michelle claims charles won't let up she tries to walk away
35:32as i'm walking away he kicks me in the back he kicked me so hard
35:38i went down to the floor and i and i lost it i went from zero to a hundred i got up i said did
35:46you just kick me do i look like a dog i hogged off with everything in me i went
35:52kapayow all my might i said lord jesus in heaven if you really have to give me the strength of ten bulls to
36:00beat the dog mess out of this man and he got up and kapayow he hit me and we started fighting and fighting and fighting
36:08we was tearing that house up during the struggle michelle's dinner tray goes flying
36:18i saw the knife glide across the floor and i went towards it
36:23and he was pulling my foot and i kicked him and i got the knife and i said stop
36:31i will cut you
36:3348 year old michelle evans has finally been pushed over the edge
36:56what's wrong with you her boyfriend charles has attacked her during a heated argument
37:02and she's about to give him a taste of his own medicine
37:06and i i close my eyes and i'm swinging the knife and
37:11he knocks the knife out of my hand it goes across the floor
37:16she says charles starts slamming her head
37:21i felt myself going out and i'm like oh lord jesus please don't let me go i was like michelle
37:27stay with me stay with me because if you go out he gonna kill you
37:30michelle manages to push charles off of her
37:34the fall knocks his prosthetic leg loose
37:38stop stop
37:40she pulls the leg out through his pants
37:43leg came off like that and i was like now bitch
37:47uh-huh he was like okay baby stop oh it's baby now
37:52baby come back
37:55i was the bitch right oh i was this and i was that right why you's on the phone with your little
38:01girlfriend right i mean i had just lost it
38:03she tosses the leg out the front door
38:07according to michelle when she comes back inside and resumes the fight
38:20charles gets the upper hand and she drops the knife
38:23he does the wrestling thing on me across with the leg
38:28he's choking i said if i if i stay here i'm gonna die
38:33so i reached with my foot and got the knife
38:35and he pulled it from me out of my hand and i cut my finger right there
38:47and then i pulled it from him and cut his finger
38:49trying to grab the knife
38:52it's like i see his look in the eyes man i ain't never seen before
38:56it was a lot of rage a lot of rage in the eyes
38:59i stuck him in the leg when he got cut the blood sprouted out he said stop i'm bleeding
39:06charles's blood thinner medication makes even the slightest cut potentially lethal
39:12he could bleed to death in minutes
39:15it's like she was trying to kill literally kill me
39:20that's what i was thinking in my mind
39:22blood everywhere
39:24i told you don't mess with me
39:26and i said i told you to stop i told you to stop you won't listen
39:29and all of this over a bitch
39:31it's over a bitch
39:33is she really worth it
39:35you just wouldn't stop
39:37charles says he doesn't recall what started the argument
39:43but claims he's just an innocent victim
39:46it wasn't like i had on the floor trying to choke her or nothing like that
39:50i couldn't even get my hands on her
39:52and my leg was gone i just laid on the floor trying to protect myself
39:56why would she pick up a weapon on her appetite
39:59when michelle sees all the blood pouring out of charles she calls 911 in a panic
40:11when he got there he was like she stabbed me he said i don't even know what she did with my legs
40:27she just went crazy so i'm some crazy deranged jealous girlfriend that just up snaps all out the blue and you're a victim
40:34michelle did they snap you in handcuffs that night
40:37they did they didn't ask me anything
40:39it was like um you're under arrest
40:43ma'am step away right now
40:46my mom she's not crazy it's just when she loves she loves hard
40:50he's not innocent
40:51i was shocked when i got the phone call and they was talking about my mom stabbing him and i'm like what
40:58michelle wouldn't have heard it charles unless she had to that's how much she loved him
41:05although charles lost a lot of blood his wounds aren't serious
41:11he gets three stitches in his hand and three more in his leg
41:16he's released from the hospital the next day
41:19michelle isn't so lucky
41:24she spends two days in a holding cell
41:27she's charged with aggravated domestic violence
41:30her sentence if convicted
41:3210 years to life
41:34but when charles takes responsibility for his part in the altercation
41:42he said your honor it was a misunderstanding
41:45i i want to go to counseling i love this woman and i and i drink too much
41:50the charges are immediately dropped
41:53i was ecstatic
41:55i was so happy i was just elated
41:58michelle could be in prison right now
42:02if she had struck us the moral artery and he had died
42:05this could have a very different outcome
42:07but because charles believes in michelle
42:11it's very likely this couple can work through their past
42:14and have a really good future together
42:16michelle and charles get counseling
42:21to help repair the emotional damage
42:23we forgave each other everything everything's good now
42:28no more of that crazy stuff but i don't drink heavy like that no more
42:31i can't remember the last time i don't fell down
42:33it's something i've been thinking about for a long time now
42:36a year after the stabbing charles asks michelle to be his wife
42:41on her 49th birthday
42:43will you make me the luckiest man in the world
42:47he pulls his leg back
42:49gets on one knee
42:50he said i love you
42:51i've never been married
42:53i want to spend the rest of my life with you
42:55we have been through thick and thin
42:57i believe with the lord's help we'll be all right
43:00will you marry me and i say yes
43:02it's beautiful
43:03in my heart i was really happy
43:05this woman i've been waiting on all my life
43:07and i finally got her
43:08does he treat you with respect now
43:12he's a little maldy still
43:14but we working on it
43:15i'm sure you'll get that under control
43:17and you're happy today
43:18i am
43:19sometimes it takes a tragedy to get you to triumph
Be the first to comment
Add your comment