domestic violence

i went to see a friend of mine yesterday, and was overjoyed when she told me she was getting a divorce - her husband always seemed a bit flaky to me,t heir relationship was often on the rocks and their marriage certainly didn't start very well. i did not, however, expect the tale of what had really happened over the past five years. a tale of domestic violence, including a 2-day stay at the hospital and two formal complaints at the police station. i had tears in my eyes when she was telling me. and the thing that made me angrier than anything was when she recounted a recent episode when he'd threatened to kill her, to make her 'another statistic'. and she doesn't want to make domestic violence the grounds for the divorce because that would mean instant jail-time for him and she doesn't think he deserves that. and she didn't tell anyone any of this because if things got better, like he kept promising they would, she didn't want anyone remembering the bad times and thinking less of her husband. she's one of the most considerate people i know, but this is taking it way too far in my book. and it is scary to think that she, as a highly-intelligent and educated woman, would have let things go so far... just writing this makes my blood boil and makes me want to hit someone (preferably him), and i'm just so sad that she went through all this alone.