Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a damaging breakdown in relationship and a serious global health issue. How women who have experienced IPV evaluate their relationships and what they describe wanting in relationships has received little attention in IPV literature. The present exploratory qualitative study examined: (1) what women who have experienced IPV want in romantic relationships, (2) the factors they consider as they reflect on staying or leaving a relationship, (3) the ways the intersections of identity can create vulnerability and impact experiences of relationships, and (4) how spending time in shelter impacts women’s thoughts about relationships and hopes for their future. Interviews with eight women were conducted and analyzed using Fraser’s (2004) method which examines personal stories while considering the social context of the narratives. This analysis was informed by post-modern, feminist, post-colonial scholarship. The analysis revealed the impact of dominant narratives of intimate relationships on how women make meaning of their experiences of IPV: that women attempt to align with the dominant narrative about ideal relationships, attempt to align with narratives about leaving the relationship, and attempt to align with the dominant narrative of shelter being predominantly used for immediate refuge from violence. The impact of these dominant narratives, as well as practice implications to promote positive physical, psychological, and social outcomes for marginalized female victims of IPV and further research directions are discussed.