SHE SAID NO TO HER EX — THEN SUFFERED A LIFE-CHANGING ATTACK: KAYLA HAYES’ STORY OF SURVIVAL
In October 2017, 19-year-old Kayla Hayes agreed to meet her former boyfriend, Seth Aaron Fleury, one last time in South Carolina. Kayla had ended their relationship after experiencing controlling behavior and believed the meeting would simply be a final conversation.
According to prosecutors, however, the encounter quickly took a horrifying turn. Fleury reportedly leaned toward Kayla as though he were going to kiss her. When she refused to restart the relationship, prosecutors said he attacked her, causing severe injuries to her lower lip.
Kayla was rushed to the hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery. The damaged tissue could not be reattached, and she later underwent reconstructive treatment and received hundreds of sтιтches. The injuries left permanent scarring and limited movement.
But the emotional impact went much deeper.
Kayla later described struggling with her changed appearance and the difficult process of learning to recognize herself again after the attack. What happened affected not only her physical appearance but also her confidence and sense of idenтιтy.
In 2018, Fleury pleaded guilty to ᴀssault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and received a 12-year prison sentence.
Yet Kayla refused to let that experience become the final chapter of her story.
She began speaking publicly about relationship abuse and the warning signs of controlling behavior, hoping that sharing her experience could help others recognize unhealthy situations and seek support.
Someone tried to permanently change her life through violence.
Kayla chose to respond by turning her experience into a message for others: control should never be mistaken for love, and no one should have to give up their boundaries to keep a relationship.
Her scars became part of her story — but they did not become the end of it.
