I HAVE been married for 13 years. I have a good job, three lovely children and a good standard of living. And I'm about to leave all this behind. I cannot stand my wife's behaviour.

The rows erupt over the most minor of things, and my wife has become really aggressive -- shouting, hitting and throwing things at me. The abuse has escalated, and she has threatened me with a knife on several occasions. I do not feel safe at home and sleep alone with my bedroom door locked. The reasons for these outbursts can be as simple as me arriving home a quarter of an hour late, or one of the children spilling something on the floor.

My wife has insulted my family to such an extent that they do not want anything to do with us and have told me to just leave the marriage.
I feel totally alone.