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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

Finally told my physically/emotionally abusive H I am divorcing him...

999 replies

Namechanger2015 · 17/05/2015 21:01

I have been posting about my H since Jan. He assaulted me in Dec in front of my DC. I left in late Jan with my DC and we moved in with my parents 1.5h away, close to my family.

Since then he has offered to sell the family home so we can live together close to my parents, and enrol in an abusers course, and has generally seen the error of his ways. Except of course, he hasn't.

He has decided that he likes the house too much to sell it, and is currently enjoying living alone in the 4-bed detached house that I paid towards with my salary, which he would not allow me access to.

He has decided that the abusers course is 'a load of bollocks' and so refuses to do it. I pinned all of my hopes on this course fixing him, and he won't even try. He knows the alternative is divorce and living away from me and his 3 beautiful DC but it seems that is not enough for him. He will not do the course and he will not sell the family house to buy another.

My immediate family know what he has been like over the years and don't ever want to see him again. Some of my extended family know and are 100% behind me as well.

Last week I told him the solicitor will be in touch to start proceedings and end our marriage. It went like this:

(bland conversation about him wanting to attend a family event with me Hmm)
Me: I have spoken to solicitor and they will be in touch
Him: To do what?
Me: To end the marriage
Him: There is no end with children involved
Me: Yes. You can see the children anytime you want to.
Him: And you will hide away? We will always see each other. For the rest of our lives. There is no end.

(2 hours later)
Him: Can you let me know the kids half term dates, I'd like to have them stay for a few days if that's ok.
Me: Yes, thats fine.
etc.

So that was it. I told him I want a divorce, and he mustered up 4 sentences in a text. Nothing else. No promising to do the course, even if he did think it was crap, and no promising to sell the house to buy a place together, simply because he loves that house too much to give up.

So my marriage is over, once the exceedingly slow SHL finally serves the papers. And he didn't even fight, get angry, nothing. Just took it in his stride.

It's further proof that he never loved me, but I can't help feeling angry, sad, robbed. I could have had a life with someone else. As it stands, I have 3 young DC and no partner, and just me.

Trying not to feel to sad or worthless. I have had an amazing weekend with family at a wedding, the DC and I loved it, and my extended family are simply amazing. I could have lived in the wedding hotel with them all for ever, we have so much love between us all.

But I don't have a spouse. After 9 years of marriage. I did it all alone, nobody to chitter about what the food was like, or that I liked the brides dress, or whether the DC enjoyed it. I know the whole experience would have been different with him there, and probably not in a good way. But it was lonely, and a bit of a wake-up call.

I'm not even worth selling a house or attending a crappy course for. He would rather let me go than do that for me, after 9 years and 3 children.

I am actually shocked, surprised and hurt at how little I meant to him by the end of our marriage.

OP posts:
Namechanger2015 · 14/07/2015 17:56

I feel MUCH better. He doesn't get to dictate anything to me anymore. And my children get to go to their party.

OP posts:
CruCru · 14/07/2015 18:33

Well that sounds very good.

Jux · 14/07/2015 18:52

Well done. That must feel good, empowering! Keep sticking to what is OK with you, stand up for yourself, and as long as you are not being unreasonable (you're not!) all should be fine. Keep that papertrail.

Lweji · 14/07/2015 19:39
Grin

You are doing great.

He must be bouncing off the walls.

FantasticButtocks · 14/07/2015 19:46

Gold Star to you! He is not in charge anymore.

RandomMess · 14/07/2015 20:10

Well done, I am sure he will test your resolve to the limits and not care about the girls getting hurt in the meantime but he is simply backing himself into a corner because you are offering him contact that works for the DC and he isn't willing to accommodate their needs.

FeckTheMagicDragon · 14/07/2015 20:12

Just a word of caution - is he likely to find out from your DDs where the party is. Without dragging them into all this nastiness is there anyway to stop him from asking them?

FeckTheMagicDragon · 14/07/2015 20:13

But so we'll done on standing your ground :)

Namechanger2015 · 14/07/2015 20:37

Yes I am continuing to offer him access, and he doesn't want it unless it's on his terms. I am also wondering about the fact that he told the DDs he will be able to see them again over the summer hols, and in the October hols. He is slowly backing away from seeing them at weekends because it's an effort, and is instead talking about seeing them in school hols only?

OP posts:
Namechanger2015 · 14/07/2015 20:38

He won't find out where the party is - its in a hall we have never been to before, so I will be relying on the satnav to get me there. I have no idea of the name of the hall or the area it is in, and DDs will not know either.

OP posts:
Namechanger2015 · 14/07/2015 20:39

He must be bouncing off the walls.

I believe so, yes Grin

It is so easy to slip back into being controlled by him, and so scary to stand up to him. I have no idea why. He is powerless once pushed. I am climbing out of my hole.

OP posts:
Lweji · 14/07/2015 20:56

It is so easy to slip back into being controlled by him, and so scary to stand up to him. I have no idea why.

It's habit. Think Pavlov's dog.
You will grow out of it but you will have to keep facing the anxiety of standing up to him.

BeyonceRiRiMadonnna · 14/07/2015 21:03

I was looking for the 'applause' emoji, couldn't find it, WELL DONE YOU! He can go jump, it is not about him, it is about the children, the sooner he learns that the better! Idiot!

I work with people like him, the minute they meet someone who has zero tolerance for their BS, they struggle, I'd love to be a fly on his wall! HA!

AmIbeingTreasonable · 14/07/2015 22:01

Well done Name! Grin Just keep repeating yourself and do not engage in ANY discussion. You have to train him just like you would a dog Wink

Jux · 14/07/2015 23:43

He is powerless once pushed absolutely! Keep pushing and you will find it easier and easier and less and less scary, until you barely notice it, while he will be spitting feathers!

ShebaShimmyShake · 15/07/2015 07:10

Go you. Take the advice of another awesome young woman...

Namechanger2015 · 15/07/2015 21:31

Thank you! Feeling awesome but so, so tired. No idea how I will cope with working and looking after 3 children once I am in my own house. My parents and my brother help me out loads at the moment.

H has not had them for a weekend without me for 2 months now; I am exhausted, and that's not even a long period of time realistically.

I am looking forward to the break when they are with him for 2 weeks, I need unbroken sleep, and less running around for a while so I can recharge. Just so tired.

OP posts:
Lweji · 15/07/2015 21:48

H has not had them for a weekend without me for 2 months now

What?
I hadn't realised that.

You do deserve a big break.

CruCru · 15/07/2015 22:34

Blimey. He'll be horrified when he realises what hard work it is.

Namechanger2015 · 16/07/2015 07:05

He saw them last on the weekend of 9th June when I took them to see him. He didn't have a car big enough for them (just his 2-seater sports car Hmm ) so I drove them to play dates etc whilst he stayed out home.

The last time he actually drove down himself to see them / have them for the weekend was 26th May. So nearly 2 months ago.

And this is in the first 6 months of us splitting up. I thought the can't-be-arsed-with-my-kids stage would have come much later down the road.

But yes, he will be shocked to know how much work is involved. Until this year he has never taken any time off to care for them. I will be making the most of it! Brew

OP posts:
Clutterbugsmum · 16/07/2015 07:42

Anyone else thinking that him having them for 2 weeks turns into him having them 2 nights.

petalsandstars · 16/07/2015 07:51

^^ reality will bite him I think.

But I do think you need to step back a bit with your role in his contact time. you shouldn't have one I appreciate why you would take them to play dates etc as it is for their benefit - but that is his time to do it! Can't you appropriate the sports car and leave him with the larger car Grin

Jux · 16/07/2015 12:31

Definitely swap cars if he turns up in the sports car again.Grin that'll shake him up!

Naturally you are keeping notes of all this Wink

Lweji · 16/07/2015 12:38

And if you aren't insured to drive it, by any chance, then they just don't go.

Namechanger2015 · 16/07/2015 12:44

I didn't take them to him for the contact time, they had an invite to a party that they would have loved to go to, and H would not take them, so I decided to go take them and stay at my friends, whilst he had them for the weekend.

He has text today and asked me to pack their bike helmets (even though I have their bikes?) and their swimming costumes (even though the local pool won't allow 1 adult to 3 children - both he and the kids know this).

So I can only assume he is making plans with his sister (borrow her DCs bikes, go swimming together, etc) or with someone else.

Family also seem to think 2 weeks will turn into something shorter. Who knows.

If I am being honest, I am feeling very, very anxious about them going away to him for the next 2 weeks.

It's partly seeing that he is finally planning ahead and doing nice things with them (used to be biking on the front garden whilst he washed cars, and flat out refused to go swimming with them). It makes me feel like they are being a happy family together and if I went back then it would be perfect and the kids would absolutely love life again.

It's also the feeling of the children being back in our marital home again for two weeks, and remembering/enjoying their old lives again. It will make it hard for them to leave again and come back to me. It cant be easy for them to be constantly flitting between two homes and readjusting constantly.

And it's the feeling of being out of control and not knowing what they are doing or being near them I guess.

The last time they went to him for 4 days I was very down and was considering patching things up between us again. I do have lots of plans to keep myself busy, both with work and socially, but am almost scared/worried about how I will cope already.

OP posts:
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