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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

messed it up

62 replies

confusedandsome · 06/08/2012 12:05

just need some perspective on this please. Been seeing man for a year.
Me: Live alone, crap area, bad parking etc. No family in the UK apart from a distant relationship with my mum. Dad dead. Few friends and the good ones I have live abroad. Busy job which involves travelling a lot. Lots of aquaintances. I have an 20 year old son who is living and working in Dubai for a year and we skype etc.
Him: Lives alone, big house, fab job, well off. Estranged from his parents and brother, few friends and they live miles away, has 2 children but its not an easy relationship as they dont help him, eldest one is sullen and can be quite nasty to him. Own business.
So we get together. He developed strong feelings for me very quickly. He quickly wanted to know whether we had a future. Wanted to be financially together. I have 2 houses. My mum and I did a house swap when my son was at Uni. He wanted me to sell the house my mum is in, move her back (even though she didnt want to go) and he and I would pool our finances and live together with me "wanting for nothing"
I did and do love him but I dont want to uproot my mum and financially I do ok. TBH I wasnt sure what I wanted to do. I am starting a course for 2 years in Sept and I was going to see how it panned out before I made such huge financial decisions.
He wants a "normal" life. He wants a "family unit" because he lost it all when he divorced his wife when she had affairs. I didn?t gel very well with his children as they ignored me and never said thanks for presents etc. He never addressed this but expected me to be there with his children nevertheless.
There were some other things that made me think about making this commitment
He would withdraw affection when he wasn?t feeling so good in his own mind
He had fallen out with his neighbours and many of his friends. Many people didn?t include him in things. For instance his friend got engaged yet he found out through another friend and they were very hesitant to talk to him about arrangements etc.
He would not want to speak to me for a week or so if he had a row with his children
Then his mood would change and he would be fantastic again
He told me he knew many nasty people
He said he had shut off his emotions after so many people had taken the piss
He hated me reading my book but wouldn?t say it at the time, only after
He has finished with me saying ?the relationship wont work and I am taking the piss?
I then get upset and he takes me back
He told me at the weekend that a couple of his friends said I was ?extremely rude?. These are friends I have never spoken to.
He said he finds it hard to sleep with me as I breathe loudly
Last night he told me its finally over as I don?t include him in my life, I am not committed and he needs to move on with his life. He said he doesn?t want me there cleaning and being there when he is at home. He said he needs to get rid of the bad stuff in his life and I am one of those things. He said I will never change and he has wasted a year being with me but he will chalk it up to experience. He said I have blown it and this is what I wanted. This was after a conversation where he was telling me I was anti-social and I said out of frustration that maybe he needs to find someone who is more social than me. But I didn?t mean it that way.
I am so upset. I loved him, never criticised him yet I feel this is all my fault as I don?t have much of a life to introduce him to being pretty insular myself. For the majority of the time we had a wonderful time together, he was generous, kind and loving.
How do I move on? I feel very hurt and is this normal to feel like this?

OP posts:
tzella · 06/08/2012 12:13

It sounds like he messed it up, not you!

What a peculiar man. You're better off out of it :)

LisaD1 · 06/08/2012 12:18

I'd say you've had a lucky escape! You may not think your life without him is fantastic but it is YOUR life! Sounds to me like he wanted someone to control, dust yourself off and think yourself lucky he has done you the favour of cutting you loose!

GoldenFucker · 06/08/2012 12:20

I say you have had a very lucky escape

Thank your Guardian Angel you hesitated to throw your financial lot in with him

Let this dysfunctional person go, and get on with your own life

SandStorm · 06/08/2012 12:21

That sounds like a lot of hard work and you're better off out of it. Do you really want to be on that merry-go-round for the rest of your life?

pictish · 06/08/2012 12:23

Jeeez...your relationship reads like a series of invisible tests he has set for you! Thank fuck you didn't comply with his plans for your assets!

He sounds like an emotional bully.

doinmummy · 06/08/2012 12:26

He's a control freak. I wouldn't be surprised if he asks to get back together. He knocks you down and then does you then 'favour' of picking you up again.

This type of person is dangerous. You really have had a lucky escape.

wheredidiputit · 06/08/2012 12:33

You didn't mess up he did.

He didn't want you he wanted your money/houses and then leave you with nothing.

Get on with you course and life while thanking your lucky stars you didn't fall for his demands.

tallwivglasses · 06/08/2012 12:51

Aha! He's one of those people who's always badly treated by everyone else, isn't he. And it's always somebody else's fault. Estranged from family, friends...oh, and you breathe! - I can barely see my computer screen for billowing red flags.

He's a horrible, horrible man who conned you into falling for him because he was putting on an act

I've also got a feeling this isn't the last you'll hear of him. Print out this thread (especially your OP) and stick it on your fridge x

Viviennemary · 06/08/2012 13:09

He sounds like a person who is totally impossible to please with his moods and blaming everybody else. I wouldn't be surprised if he had second thoughts and wanted to try again. But don't. He sounds toxic and you deserve better.

pictish · 06/08/2012 13:16

I too think he'll be back.
He will leave you contemplating your failures for a bit, then make you feel like he is doing you a big favour by giving you another chance...after which you'll try that bit harder to be what he wants you to be, won't you?
Then he'll sell your house.
Then you'll be fucked.

Be glad you have this opportunity to never see him again! Truly!

solidgoldbrass · 06/08/2012 13:19

Send this man an email telling him that you do not want any further contact with him, and if he does contact you again the police will be informed. Honestly, you need to crack down hard: he's very abusive and was plotting from the beginning to steal from you - get his hands on the house etc. You have had a very lucky escape.

doinmummy · 06/08/2012 13:29

He will do damage to your finances but more importantly he will damage you emotionally.

This type of man will follow a pattern of behaviour. Knock you down , then make you grateful that he has decided to 'give you one more chance'. Then knock you down again.

Please stop ALL contact.

NicolasGirl · 06/08/2012 13:31

OP you have had a very lucky escape.

Sadly I didn't have mumsnet when I was involved with a very similar man or I wouldn't have had such a torrid time at his hands.

I agree he will try to get back in touch. Don't let him in if you value your financial security and peace of mind. Just look at how many people have rejected him! Are they all wrong?

glastocat · 06/08/2012 13:39

He sounds like an utter loon. Chalk it down to a very lucky escape!

leguminous · 06/08/2012 13:44

Everything you say about this man gives me the heeby-jeebies. You're well out of this one. I too suspect you haven't heard the last of him, and I really really hope you won't let him back into your life - he sounds scary. Don't let him get you down with the crap about you being a bad thing in his life. What he means is that you wouldn't knuckle under and make all the decisions he thought you should.

RecklessRat · 06/08/2012 13:54

If you read back through your post I think you'll realise why the unanimous verdict is "you're better off out of it".

He sounds awful. What a huge relief you haven't thrown in your financial lot with him. He may of course be perfectly financially secure, but I would be very wary of anyone encouraging me to sell a property to "pool resources" with him. Just because you live in a big house and have a great job doesn't mean you are solvent!

Of course it's normal to feel hurt and upset at the end of a relationship that's lasted a year, but this will pass.

I too suspect he'll be back sniffing around before too long. You must hold your ground.

Good luck with getting your life back - why not concentrate your emotional energy on expanding your friendship circle for a bit? It'll make you happier and bring ou into contact with other, hopefully much nicer, men.

Coconutter · 06/08/2012 14:06

What they ^ said. He does not sound nice! A definite bully. Big red flags. It's not normal to be treated like that! And don't for a second think it's your fault - you deserve someone much nicer. I suspect his children, family, etc don't have a good relationship with him because he's probably not very nice to them either. Move on.

akaemmafrost · 06/08/2012 14:15

Controlling fucker! Only you seem to healthy boundaries in place that he couldn't get through so dumped you in frustration. You have had a lucky escape.

akaemmafrost · 06/08/2012 14:17

Agree that sadly this twerp will come slinking back, probably in a couple of days, prepared to "give you another chance".

Anniegetyourgun · 06/08/2012 14:18

A nice man wouldn't expect you to throw your mum out of her house, for a start. And wouldn't talk about a pleasant year spent courting as "wasted".

I also wonder which side his children really got their graceless behaviour from.

squeakytoy · 06/08/2012 15:30

I can only wholeheartedly agree with all the others here. You really have been thrown a lifeline and should grab it.

He sounds so horrible, and I would say making any sort of financial commitment with him would end badly, for you.

There is a reason he is estranged from his family and has few friends, and he is the root of it.

Dont go back to him, whatever you do.

QuietTiger · 06/08/2012 15:57

What a complete knobber. You are very, very lucky to be shot of a moron like him. :)

You didn't screw it up at all. It seems to me you've been very sensible.

confusedandsome · 06/08/2012 16:59

Thank you for your messages. I think my head isnt in the right place at the moment but I am taking in all the messages

My overwhelming feeling has been that this was my fault. He told me he had let me into his life, his world etc which is true. I didnt let him into my world completely as its very transient and I tend to frequent with work colleagues and I dont party. And he finished work late (true as I would phone him in the factory) most evenings so it was easy for me to go to his and he would say he really liked that and he used to hate coming home to an empty house.

Regarding weekends - he would have his children one weekend in 2 and that was increasing over the summer to one weekend in 4. He said I needed to seriously think about what I wanted to do as he would be with his children a lot more.

He also said I needed to think very hard about what I needed to do when I started this course as I have 2 houses. The ideal situation would be to move my mum back into her house and me live with him, pooling our money. He said that financial commitment would "lock me" into him and show him that I was indeed commited. he didnt need my financial assistance (which is true) but it would mean we were a true couple.

I keep thinking about the good times. He was very generous, giving and loving but the more I read of these messages, the more I see it was on his terms.
It is so correct in that he gave me these secret tests and I couldnt pass any of them

Also I subconsciously knew things werent right....
He had never met a friend of mine but he told me on more than one ocassion that he wanted to meet her to see what all the fuss is about (what fuss?). He told me he disliked her and they had a mutual dislike of the opposite sex in common

He would tell me that my friends wont stick around and I will be lucky to have them in 5 years time
He had fallen out with his neighbours. Apparently they had been making comments about the way in which he used the sides of his house and he told them to F off
He had a couple of people he called friends who were in fact his customers, he would travel to see them but needed to get the contract sorted first. He was very money orientated
He tried to make an effort with his parents but him mum didnt want to know. After his gran died last year, he wanted to recreate what they had and have a family meal but no one wanted to come.
He would say I could use his car for long journeys. i refused as I didnt want the responsiblity. He would then say later that its all no with me.
He said I was lacking in feelings and affection. He said I showed no love for him and when I did he knew it wasnt permanent.
he didnt want to see me for a week when he fell out with his child. I tried to broach the subject of his changing moods but he said he was stressed out.
When I asked whom of his friends had I been rude to, he said it wasnt relevant and he didnt want to talk about it. He said he didnt care that I had been rude to his friends. Even though I was so upset at the thought of being rude to people.
I feel he wanted to "help" me in many ways. I wanted to get fitter so he had a think about what sport was best and felt I would suit cycling and it would be something we could do together. He wanted to find solutions to help my financial situation. I could live with him. He offered money to buy me a new car. He would talk about things to do at weekends.
Yet: He never came up with dates. He would promise to phone but then didnt on many ocassions.

Im sorry this is so long and thank you for reading it. I dont think Im that tuned into what is a red flag and I even have thought maybe I have made much of this up, he was great and I have seriously messed up.

OP posts:
solidgoldbrass · 06/08/2012 17:07

This man is awful. Everything he said has been designed to crush you and make you totally dependent on him, partly so that he could steal the equity in your house and partly because he is a dangerous and abnormal personality who needs to have someone to bully and abuse. The reason no one speaks to him is because they have all seen through him.

Well done! It might have taken you a little while to realise quite what a cock he is but you hung on to your assets and refused his manipulations. You were too strong for this fucker, be proud of yourself.

confusedandsome · 06/08/2012 17:22

Thank you SGB. I needed that. I think the underlying issue is that I felt "lucky" to have got someone so a) nice looking b) fit c) he was charming, sucessful and seemingly kind and generous. My own esteem needs working on. When we first met he would always comment on how I looked, saying I looked hot. He would touch me as he walked by, hug me etc. But then he would also withdraw it but say it was me who turned away from him.
I dont have much confidence and I am not good in public with strangers which I why I was so upset when he told me I had been rude to his friends. I am not good at approaching people to say hi.
Also, when we met I had a few months of soul destroying internet dating under my belt whereby no one was interested. Before that my ex told me I had got fat and he didnt find me attractive anymore.
Phew - I need to seriously work on myself. Thank you

OP posts: