My Sil Traumatized Me For Years Calling It A “Love Tap.” Then My Cousin-in-law Showed The Family A Video That Changed Everything. Was I Truly Too Sensitive?

The Breaking Point

After three years of this, I was at my breaking point. I had chronic neck pain from constantly tensing up around her. I’d stopped going to family events, and Tom was getting angry about me isolating myself from his family.

I was taking prescription painkillers for the headaches and spending hundreds on chiropractor visits. Denise had literally given me a neurological condition from repeated head trauma, but everyone still acted like I was overreacting to playful affection.

The explosion happened at Tom’s parents’ 40th anniversary party. It was a huge event with probably 70 people, including extended family and their friends.

I’d taken preventive pain medication and was trying to stay in crowded areas where Denise couldn’t easily reach me, but she was determined to get her hit in. She followed me to the bathroom and waited outside.

When I came out, she smacked me so hard I saw stars and stumbled forward into the wall. I heard something pop in my neck, and pain shot down my entire left side. That’s when Tom’s cousin, Bradley, turned the corner and saw me on the ground holding my neck with Denise standing over me laughing.

Bradley helped me up and asked what happened.

Denise said,

“Oh, Lucy’s being her usual dramatic self, pretending I hurt her with a love tap.”

Bradley looked at her strangely and said,

“I just watched you hit her full force in the head. That wasn’t a love tap; that was battery.”

Denise tried to laugh it off, but Bradley wasn’t having it.

He said,

“Actually, I’ve been watching you do this all night. You’ve hit her four times already and it’s only been an hour. That’s not affection, that’s abuse.”

The Evidence

Denise said Bradley was overreacting too, but then Bradley said something that changed everything.

“You know what’s interesting, Denise? You only hit Lucy. I’ve been paying attention for the last year and you don’t playfully smack anyone else. Not Tom, not your parents, not your kids, not your friends. Just Lucy. That’s not a quirky personality trait, that’s targeted harassment.”

People started gathering around because Bradley’s voice was getting louder. Tom came over asking what was wrong.

Bradley said,

“Your sister has been physically assaulting your wife for years and you’ve all been laughing about it. I just witnessed her hit Lucy hard enough to injure her neck and she’s standing here smiling about it.”

Tom tried to defend Denise, saying it was just how she showed affection, but Bradley pulled out his phone.

“Actually, I’ve been recording her doing it all night for evidence. Want to see the compilation?”

Bradley held up his phone and turned the screen toward the crowd. The hallway went dead quiet as people leaned in to watch.

The video showed me sitting at a table eating and Denise walking up behind me and smacking the back of my head hard enough that my fork dropped. Then it cut to me talking to someone and Denise hitting me again from behind. Then me getting a drink and another hit.

Then me near the bathroom and the final strike that put me on the ground. Four hits in one hour, all caught on camera with timestamps. You could see my head snap forward each time and the force was obvious.

These weren’t taps or pats; they were full swings like someone hitting a volleyball.