Beth Dutton

He called back, cursing any number of obscenities at me and told me that if I was there when he got home, he was going to kill me.

Did you believe him?

No, but I was scared.

Despite the ongoing battles, Melanie agreed to buy a new house with Bill.

If you were so unhappy, why would you bother to look forward to the future?

I mean, that's a 15 to 30 year commitment.

For the kids.

Even though we weren't happy, we weren't ending this marriage any time soon that I could see.

they would never move into that new home.

On the night of April 28, 2004, back in their apartment after the closing, Melanie says they got into the fight that finally convinced her to leave Bill.

Believe it or not, he was all over a simple dryer sheet.

He hated them.

He hated them, and I always left them in the pile of laundry.

And from there, the fight progresses to me getting slammed up against the doorway and getting the dryer sheet shoved in my mouth and slapped across the face.

At this point, one of the kids is there.

I grab him, scoop him up, lock myself in the bag.

What was he saying to you through the doorway?

I'm going to take the kids, and you'll never see them again.

Melanie says Bill packed his bags and stormed off in his car.

Two days later, she filed a restraining order.