This week Pilar Sanders, soon to be ex-wife of NFL great Deion Sanders, accused her husband of orchestrating a violent attack on her designed to physically force her out of his Texas mansion.

In the lawsuit filed Pilar claims Deion had a woman named Laura Jones come to the house and attack her, she claims the woman “squared off and took a swing at [Pilar] hitting her in the eye.” At one point Pilar claims the attack was so vicious that she grabbed a kitchen knife to defend herself and wants a judge to issue a restraining order against the woman in addition to having Deion pay for the mental and physical pain.

Now it’s no secret that Pilar and Deion love the spotlight so we hope that these allegations aren’t some twisted way to stick it Deion and gain public sympathy. Domestic violence is extremely serious and affects millions all over the country each year. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men in United States are victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives.

With children involved the affects of domestic violence take on a different aspect not only leaving physical and emotional scars on the victim, but on the children as well.

The violence Pilar claims to have experienced is just one of the many signs that you could be in a domestic violence situation.

The most telling sign is fear of your partner. If you feel like you have to walk on eggshells around your partner—constantly watching what you say and do in order to avoid a blow-up—chances are your relationship is unhealthy and abusive, and you need to get out and get help now.

If you or anyone you know is in an abusive relationship, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE.