We’ve all had those tough days where everything feels like an uphill battle, like pushing against a strong gust of wind. For most of us, though, those rough patches fade away eventually. But for Kayla Holmes, one devastating moment is etched into her life forever—staring back at her every time she glances in the mirror.
Her experience is so gut-wrenching that it really makes you stop and think about how minor our daily gripes can seem in comparison.
Just a heads up: There are some upsetting photos ahead.
Falling for an Older Guy
About a year before everything went horribly wrong, Kayla was stuck in a really messed-up, abusive relationship. Growing up with just her mom, she never really saw what a good, healthy partnership looked like. At only 17, she started dating this older guy who treated her terribly—both physically and mentally.
“I felt like I belonged to my attacker. He twisted my mind so much that I nearly lost all my friends and family,” she shared.
Like a lot of young people experiencing their first romance, she held on tight, believing him every time he swore he’d turn things around.
It’s a choice she’ll carry with her always, filled with regret.
Even after all the pain, Kayla can recall every little thing about that fateful day—October 17, 2017—like it was just yesterday.
From her Facebook page, She Rises with Kayla Hayes
That afternoon, her ex, Seth Aaron Fleury, who was 21 at the time, just couldn’t handle that it was over between them. In a fit of pure evil, he figured if he couldn’t be with her, nobody else should either.
In a deeply personal piece she posted on Love What Matters, Kayla described the horror of it all:
“I can still picture that exact second so clearly. When I flipped open my phone camera, my thoughts spiraled into this dark place, and it only got worse from there. I was sitting in a pool of my own blood, with most of my lip just lying on my leg, my mouth burning like crazy. I was scared, confused, and honestly, I didn’t know if I could ever face the world again. Right then, I just wanted it all to end—I was ready to quit for good.”
He Said He Wanted to Say Sorry
That day in October, Kayla met up with Seth because he told her he wanted to apologize for how he’d been acting. She’d dumped him a couple of weeks before, but he was convinced she was there to patch things up.
When she made it crystal clear that wasn’t happening, he lost it. He went in for a kiss by force, and when she pulled back, he did the unimaginable—he clamped down on her bottom lip and tore it right off.
He even said he was marking her so her next boyfriend would know.
“Then he dragged me out of my car, slammed the door, and sped off, leaving me there with what he’d done. He kept calling me while I was in the ambulance—it felt like forever waiting for help after something so precious to so many women got destroyed. I can’t wrap my head around that kind of rage,” Kayla explained.
From her Facebook, She Rises with Kayla Hayes
People often ask her why she stuck around in such a nightmare. She wants folks to get it—it wasn’t all bad. Seth was her first real love, and on the good days, it felt like a fairy tale. That’s what kept her coming back, time after time.
The doctors tried desperately to sew her lip back on, but it was too mangled. They ended up having to slice into her cheeks to close the gap.
“I woke up and looked at my nurse, trying to make light of it by joking that at least I wouldn’t need a costume for Halloween—I could just go as myself to freak everyone out. She laughed a bit and agreed, then got me a mask to hide my face. That’s when it really sank in; this was my life now. What I’d just come out of wasn’t some bad dream. I’d never wake up to my old normal again.”
Now, a big scar stretches across her face—a constant echo of that night.
From her Facebook, She Rises with Kayla Hayes
For ages, she beat herself up over it.
But with time, therapy, and a solid support system, Kayla realized it wasn’t on her. None of it was her fault. And looking back, the day she stood her ground and said no to getting back with him? That was one of her proudest, toughest moments. It was when she finally grabbed control of her own story.
She stopped being his puppet. She chose herself.
A year later, on October 18, 2018, justice came knocking. Seth got 12 years behind bars for aggravated assault.
These days, Kayla doesn’t call herself a victim—she’s a survivor through and through. She wears that scar like a badge of honor, not because it makes her who she is, but because it shows the grit she had to pull through.
“I’ll keep wearing my scars like they’re my wings, and I’ll stay kind and tough. I’ll rise above all this,” she says.
From her Facebook, She Rises with Kayla Hayes
Way too many people—guys and gals alike—get trapped in these poisonous relationships, holding onto those rare sweet moments amid all the hurt.
Kayla’s journey proves it: Real love doesn’t cause pain.
If you’re in a spot where you’re scared, threatened, or hurt—or if you know someone who is—please, do what Kayla did. Pick life. Pick freedom. Nobody should have to live like that.
Pass this story along to spread the word. You might just help someone who really needs it.