It's been 14 years since Michelle De La Isla left her abusive ex-husband, yet tears well up in her eyes as she relives the trauma from their seven years together. De La Isla has spoken publicly about the physical and psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of Jose Manuel De La Isla, but it never gets easier, she told The Topeka Capital-Journal. She said she ended up "bawling," with her hands shaking, the last time she recalled her experiences, before an audience at the Kansas Statehouse. "It sounds stupid, but I'm still scared that he's going to read this story and maybe get angry and do something stupid," she said.