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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to walk away from the father of one of my children?

37 replies

BeyondDespair · 13/04/2013 22:11

Sorry this is so long. I met him nearly 3 years ago, and didn't realise that he was already in a relationship with someone else. He moved in with me, with me still not realising that he was with someone else. It was only when I found a luggage label on one of his suitcases with the name of this woman's son on it, that it all came out. It also transpired that he was 120k in debt as a result of debts from exiting his marriage (divorce), and also vast amounts spent on the woman that he had been two timing me with (designer clothes, shoes, bags, expensive holidays, car, lump sum payments).

I finished with him, but he made concerted efforts to get back with me, and finally proposed 9 months later. The marriage never occurred, despite visits to meet the Vicar. He puts this down to me continually bringing up the commitment issue with him (marriage and house) which always results in an argument and him moving out.

He moved back in with me following his proposal and promised to pay the rent on my property (he is a very high earner, and I was and still am a single parent - then with only one child and studying full time, now with two and not studying or working). The rent money never arrived, and he kept walking in and out of the property (clearing all his stuff out) every time we had an argument. Rapidly followed by declarations of love and desperate attempts to get back with me. During one of his 'clear outs' I found that I was in the very early stages of pregnancy and contacted him. He was desperate for me to continue with the pregnancy and we moved to a larger rental property which he agreed to pay the rent on.

He then became embroiled in a major court case with his ex wife - she wanted to increase her already very significant maintenance payments on discovering that I was pregnant (and despite him having taken a salary reduction in a new job following redundancy.) She was seeking a maintenance increase from £4000 per month to £5700 per month. This would make it impossible for us to exist financially, given that he already had debt repayments to make. Despite this, he offered to (and did) pay her legal fees. I asked him why he had done this, particularly when he owed me months of rent that he had previously agreed to pay, and he just brushed aside my comments and said that he would have been made to pay them if he hadn't offered. We were also apparently going through on a house purchase, and he used the money that had been set aside for the Stamp Duty to pay her legal fees. The house purchase fell through.

The situation deteriorated between us, to such an extent that he would get drunk and become highly abusive to me in the final stages of my pregnancy, and I moved out with my daughter to another property.

He then made concerted attempts to reunite with me, stating that he was fighting his ex to make sure that there was more money for us for the future etc. I was so ill at the end of the pregnancy that I didn't know whether I was coming or going, and in the end I relented and let him stay shortly before the birth and for some weeks afterwards. The whole situation became surreal. The day after the birth, when I was still in hospital, he disappeared and could not be contacted. I was in a lot of pain and bleeding and kept emailing, texting and ringing him from my hospital bed. I couldn't get hold of him. When he finally arrived late in the day, he said that he had had to go to the bank because some money had been mistakenly withdrawn from his account?? He did not take any paternity leave and a few days later, my midwife readmitted me to hospital with complications. He did not visit me in hospital (I was able to keep the baby with me in my hospital room). When I returned home by taxi, he walked past me in the hall, pecked me on the cheek and walked out saying nothing.

It then transpired that his ex wife had contacted my midwife to find out advance details of my impending birth (I was advised of this by the hospital), and had also found out the name of my eldest daughter to quote in her legal papers to him. He didn't seem shocked or worried by this and just shrugged it off. I then received an email from her in which she had openly abused both of my children in an email to him and forwarded it on to me. Again, he did nothing about this.

I made very clear to him that if he wanted to continue in a relationship with me, he needed to defend my children and me against her abuse, and that we needed to buy a home (we had been/I am in very cramped and expensive rental accommodation with the baby and my older child), and that this was his last chance to save the relationship. He promptly went out and viewed another house that I had seen, made enquiries about a mortgage and then let the situation ride. The house went under offer with someone else. He also admitted that he had said nothing to her about the abuse directed at my children. I told him that the relationship was over.

Financially, he has not paid me any maintenance for his newborn daughter, nor towards my rent etc. However, he has maintained payments of £4000 per month for his other two children with his ex wife. The CSA are involved, but are characteristically slow and messing up.

He says he is now staying with family and in hotels. When he walked out a few weeks ago, he immediately deleted me from his Facebook and went on a walking holiday. I shrugged off the Facebook deletion, but then for some reason, checked his timeline some days after. Why, I don't know, because usually he doesn't post on there and has very few friends on there. There was a recently added female, who lives in his hometown (where he says he is now staying with family). I know that it could be anyone, and entirely innocent, but given his behaviour over the past few months, just have a horrible feeling that it is not entirely innocent.

Does anyone have any views on all of this? I know I've been a complete and utter idiot taking him back time and time again, but the situation is now complicated by the fact that I now have his child - of only a few weeks old.

I've just sat down and cried for the first time tonight and realised what a complete and utter idiot he's taken me for. But I can't see a way forward or what to do. It feels like hell to be honest.

OP posts:
BeyondDespair · 14/04/2013 19:17

Pogiol
I am out! He's out of the house. I don't respond to his texts or emails (which he keeps sending). Its just a case of CSA and the courts now. But feel very numb, particularly as it is so little time since the baby was born. I had hoped that the pregnancy, birth and afterwards would be a happy time. It all feels (and has felt) like hell TBH.

OP posts:
Alligatorpie · 14/04/2013 19:40

I am sorry you are going through this. I hope you have some RL support.

poglol · 14/04/2013 22:26

YANBU. You are very strong. Good luck.

BeyondDespair · 14/04/2013 22:37

SoWhatIfImWorkingClass
I always thought that a partner's income didn't have any bearing on maintenance calculations (doesn't for the CSA). The fact that I didn't (and still don't) have an income just made the request seem even more insane. As if I was going to fund someone who is already on a net income of £7500 per month. Unbelievable. Shock

OP posts:
yaimee · 14/04/2013 23:33

Run, run, as fast as you can!
Chin up! Focus on yourself and your children. You are well shot!

stubbornstains · 14/04/2013 23:48

Just a thought about the ex: She may well be really horrible, but how much do you know she has done for a fact, and how much of it has been relayed to you by your exP? He could well be telling you a pack of absolute lies about what she's been saying/doing, and he could well be saying the same about you to her.

DS's father is the same (although with no money at all);- it's like walking into a parallel world where you can't believe anything- the slightest thing. You can't even believe he's telling the truth when he tells you what he had for breakfast.

This man is obviously emotionally abusive- to say the least. Maybe it would help to look at some of the EA threads on the Relationships board, to get an insight into this kind of behaviour.

It is overwhelming to be left in the lurch with a tiny baby, but I promise you- in a couple of years you will be looking back from so much of a stronger, happier, more stable place. Hang on in there, and take care of yourself.

SoWhatIfImWorkingClass · 14/04/2013 23:49

I always thought that a partner's income didn't have any bearing on maintenance calculations (doesn't for the CSA). The fact that I didn't (and still don't) have an income just made the request seem even more insane. As if I was going to fund someone who is already on a net income of £7500 per month. Unbelievable.

Exactly! It amazes me just how entitled some people feel. Poor little her eh. Anyway I hope you manage to get all of this sorted and as others have said focus on you and your children :)

fuzzypicklehead · 15/04/2013 07:15

OP I understand that you must have been in a very vulnerable place for him to be able to string you along this far. It would be worth getting some counseling to help you work through everything that has gone on and get you feeling stronger.

But in answer to your OP YANBU to walk away entirely and never look back. It doesn't sound as though it's really worth allowing any written or verbal communication with him at all, given that he what he's saying isn't true.

thistlelicker · 15/04/2013 07:34

Won't the CSa recalculate ex wifey maintenance as he now has two kids to support ?

IneedAsockamnesty · 15/04/2013 18:44

Thistle

They lower the assessment if he resides with a child ( even if the child belongs to a lodger) but ex's money will only go down if both mothers use csa.

If one does and the other doesn't then it won't make a difference, with more than one mother what the csa do is take the % and split it between the mothers depending on how many kids each has with the dad.

A £5 pw csa assessment when 2 mothers are involved each with 1 child means £2.50 each mum pw. And its the same with larger assessments.

BeyondDespair · 15/04/2013 23:31

He arranged to come round this morning to pick up the last of his things (I asked him to clear them out some weeks ago). I went out for the day so there wasn't any chance of seeing him. Predictably, he left a load of stuff (excuse for further contact) and even though I'd asked him not to make any contact with me, I received a text from him to confirm that he'd taken his things....... I just ignored it.

OP posts:
Fluffymonster · 15/04/2013 23:56

He's just looking for any sign of weakness isn't he? And despite you having asked him not to contact you, he uses the occasion as an excuse to show no respect for test your boundaries. As if it wouldn't have been obvious he'd taken his things once you got back and they weren't there.

Well done you for ignoring.

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