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Relationships

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

Is it too late? WWYD?

3 replies

TheTruffleHunter · 02/08/2013 13:29

I'll try to keep this brief: I have cocked up massively. My XH was a twat and has taken me for a mug - we were trying to keep the split amicable - for me it was to preserve my self respect and to encourage him to co-operate with the annulment process so that I can remarry in church (RC), for him it was so that I did not make any claim on his (large) income.

He did not leave, he kicked me out as 'I would not have been able to afford the mortgage so it was his house really' he gave me some money at the time as I was retraining so that I could work from home & look after the children that we had planned. This was 2 years ago now. Around 6 months before the split he had changed his mind about kids and refused to discuss it. He had started to stay away with work a lot and come home very late/not at all and made me feel like I was being paranoid and controlling if I asked whether he would be home for tea, for example. Why did I not know about MN in those days? And yes, how stupid not to realise that he was having (multiple) affairs.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, as I had no idea what was going on and didn't know how to begin to process it, I kind of put my feelings in a box in my head, and tried to go about life as normal - one of the things he made me agree in the early days when I was so upset and confused, was not to tell friends or consult a solicitor. Yes I was that stupid and accepted his argument that they just stir up animosity and that we were perfectly capable of sorting it ourselves. The decree absolute came through last autumn but the financial side wasn't finalised. I had agreed in my emotional state to give him back my half of the house which happened in March under pressure from him, as I was about to give birth to my lovely DD with my new partner who I would really like to marry in church. Needless to say my XH now has what he wants and any pretence at civility has stopped (he had a lot of my old stuff still at the house which I was unable to collect due to restrictions he had placed).

I know I should have dealt with this all properly at the time, but everytime I heard from him or had to contact him I got in such state that I couldn't deal with it rationally. I still haven't processed any of the emotional side of things and in fact tried to avoid it once I was pregnant as I suffered a late miscarriage last year and didn't want to add to the stress for the baby. I have been told that as we have not fully finalised the financial side of things I could still go to a solicitor and get things sorted out. I had been trying to just let it go and focus on my new relationship and baby, but I feel like the feelings keep creeping out and poisoning me. I am still isolated from many of my old friends and his version of events is what most people believe (that it was me who left, he has been v generous, I met someone else first etc). Added to which there was a lot of equity in the house so he benefitted hugely from the split.

I keep going around in circles, so help me! Do I open the can of worms that is the legal process after the event? Or just try to let it go (and yes I have had counselling to support this to no avail).

Sorry this ended up being so long Blush

OP posts:
kalidanger · 02/08/2013 17:13

I'm not sure I understand the whole timeline but you could;

  1. Have a free introductory session with a solicitor to ascertain whether or not it would be worth pursuing any financial claims. Is it 'after the event'?

I don't know if getting the acree absolute means it's too late or if the time that's passed means it's too late. For your own piece of mind you can at least find that out for sure then either know the deadline or stop worrying.

  1. Look into some counselling. To chat and unravel all the shit that's gone down.

I'm sorry I'm not terribly helpful but you needed a reply of some kind Thanks

LemonDrizzled · 02/08/2013 17:40

My understanding is that unless you both signed a financial consent order then the finances are not finalised and you could reopen matters and ask for your share of the equity. You were manipulated into acting against your own best interests and those of your DC. So a judge would probably award you something. But getting married so soon is probably going to affect that because your new husband will presumably be supporting you and the new baby. It seems sense to talk it through with a solicitor and work out if it worth the high cost of legal action to get what you should, or whether to let it go and move on with your new life.

You seem to have rushed all this along a bit. Slow down and heal and enjoy your new baby! And only deal with him through a third party so he cant manipulate you again.
Good luck!

TheTruffleHunter · 02/08/2013 21:38

Thanks so much both of you for your replies; it's definitely true that I rushed into my new relationship rather than address any of the mess I was leaving behind and now it's coming back to bite me! I will need to focus on that.

I think it will also help to talk to a solicitor to find out for sure what is possible, even if I am too late to redress the balance then knowing that for sure will help me to stop constantly looking back thinking I should have done x, y or z...

Thanks! Thanks

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