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Relationships

Is he emotionally unavailable or emotionally abuse..need help :(

44 replies

FourSticks · 22/01/2017 23:47

This is long, so please bare with me as Id rather not drip feed :
Ive been on my own for 5 years since splitting with my husband and Im in my mid forties, I had a year long relationship with a man but ended it because he was emotionally unavailable and not over his ex, no other reason as he treated me well but there was no love sadly.
4 years ago I met a man through a work colleague and hit it off as friends, he lived 4 hours from me but we stayed in touch on facebook, hed recently split from his girlfriend and was a bit low so we chatted, it was only ever as friends and a few months later I was pleased to see he had met someone else and moved in with her, then they started a joint business venture. They seemed very happy, although I got bored of seeing the constant tagging of each other on facebook on a daily basis about how much they loved each other so was very surprised to see they had suddenly and unexpectedly split this summer.

He seemed devastated so I started chatting to him more...in the conversations he said he wasnt sure if had loved her or not towards the end but they had both been running the business ( a hotel) and were so busy he had barely had time for the relationship, she had ended it and had booted him out of the place they ran together.

There were endless hours of phonecalls and as the weeks went by we got closer and he invited me down to visit..I told myself I was going as a friend even though I knew I had feelings for him, the warning signs were there as there were obviously millions of loose ends to tie up wrt the business and daily heated email exchanges between him and his ex (she had met someone else) When I got down there, we did get together and things became intense.. we had a lot of common ground inc music so would sit up all night talking and listening to music, he told me he was over his GF, but not over what had happened as hed lost his business and his home ( he was living in his parents holiday apartment) and had found a new job but it felt menial to him.
I noticed he seemed to be a heavy drinker..straight to the pub after work then home to sink several cans of lager, hed obviously been doing it for years and was so hardened to it that he didnt seem drunk ever. (red flag I know), but of course he spun me the line that his ex had mentally abused him, in the last two years of their relationship and he had become a heavy drinker to blot it out, I foolishly believed him.
He warned me he wasnt ready for a relationship , but said he wanted to see "where things went" I knew I should have got out quick but I was already emotionally invested..like a bloody fool..he told me he already had deep feelings for me and that he was falling for me..I believed him...

Over the next month, I visited him nearly every weekend, on his request, in between he would message me morning noon and night and call every night for at least a couple of hours, each time always telling me how he was falling for me etc, when I visited he introduced me to his brother, work colleagues and friends ( but always as a friend Sad) but at the end of the day he had been upfront and said he didnt want a relationship, however he contradicted himself by holding my hand when we were about, holding my hands across the table when we ate out which was a lot and taking heaps of pictures of me constantly, he would constantly bang on about how it was a timing issue and that when he had sorted all the crap out with his ex ( worse to come was a huge unpaid bill to HMRC which was going to render him bankrupt), he could commit to me.
One thing I did notice was that he had a lot of ex girlfriends on facebook and seemed to still be in touch with them all , possible red flag but I ignored.Hes never married or had children and his longest relationship was 6 years, he always seemed to have really fickle reasons for eneding relationships, which seemed bizarre, one girl he seemed to carry a torch for years later and still has on fb, but said, it ended because he felt he was holding her back, so let her go, of course she has now become in his eyes, the one that got away, he even said that himself..
I have very little body confidence ( overweight, stretch marks ), he is attractive and all his exs have been very attractive, yet he would tell me I was beautiful, amazing, and made me feel very special..
Unfortunately, he seemed to have a habit of calling late at night after lots of beers and declaring his undying love, so I always wondered if he felt it as much as he implied, he also seemed to conveniently forget things he had said, and tell me I had imagined it, when I knew he had said it.

He told me his ex accused him of being abusive but said, it wasnt true and that he used to drink to avoid her and one night got so fed up of her winding him up, he threw a glass across the bar ( in their hotel) that alarmed me, I also emails from her in which she claimed the relationship died because he drank himself into oblivion everynight, never contributed towards the running of the business, slept all day , ranted and raved at her in drunken fits and essentially killed the relationship himself..
every day he would harrass her with emails demanding answers and at one point she begged him to leave her alone and accused him of stalking her, he replied of course that he hated he guts ( he would show me all these emails bizarrely)
One time when I was there, he offered me his ipad to use for something I needed to do while he was out, when I opened it, a notification popped up from a dating site and when I went to the app, I was gutted to see he was a fully paid up member of a dating site similiar to tinder and although most hadnt replied, in the space of a week, he had favourited about 50 women between 18 and 50 and harrassed a lot of them with constant requests to chat. I said nothing, went home upset, then confronted him on the phone, he was drunk, and ranted at me saying hed make it clear he didnt want a relationship, from that point on, he ignored my calls all night and just sent me nasty text messages saying, he had nothing, he was nothing, he had made it clear etc etc..

the next eve, he called me again after drinking, saying how much he loved me but that he didnt deserve me...I was so upset, I pulled back from him saying I didnt want to contact him from a while, he then proceeded to call me up all day telling me I was the best thing that ever happened and he didnt want to lose me..this cycle continued up to christmas with him either sending me a barrage of abusive texts because Id tried to call him, or ringing me late at night telling me how much he loved me, but that he was "fucked up " etc..he then confessed he had met up with a woman he had, had a FWB arrangement with over ten years ago, who was much younger than him, but that nothing had happened and he wanted to be honest with me..
He came to stay for New Year, and on New Years eve I took him to my friends, where he seemed to be having a great tie, but sadly getting more and more drunk, when we finally left, he started yelling at me saying Id ignored him all eve, hadnt introduced him to anyone and he had the worst night ever, I was stunned and upset, he then said I was killing any chance of us having a future..
next day..he woke in a pool of his own urine...hardly suprising...it transpired he had wet the bed every night for a year before his relationship ended and thats one other reason why shed had enough, he blamed her..so New Years Day, he stood there and told me it was my fault, and that I had stressed him out !..the next couple of days were odd as he then behaved as though nothing had happened, and proceeded to take heaps of pics of us both, tagging me on fb saying what a great time he was having..then went home and called me up saying, sorry it wont work, you live too far away and we arent compatible, he sounded cold and deadpan....literally hours later he called me asking me to visit, foolishly I did, last week...he was all over me saying how happy he was to see me and have me there, but seemed very stressed and anxious ( I also discovered he had been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and referred for smoking cessation )
two days later as we got into bed, he said..he didnt want to see me again, he said he was sorry but that he loved me and I was very special, but that it was building too quickly, we were too close and it was turning into a relationship and he simply couldnt give me that right now, he then said, I was amazing and deserved so much more than him, he was crying at this point..next day I went home devastated but when I called that night to try and get an explanantion, all I got was a barrage of angry texts from him saying he was fucked in the head and hed been honest from the start, he then called and said he didnt want to lose my friendship and that who knew what might happen down the line...

next day I sent a couple of upset texts which I shouldnt have done, and he responded saying he had always wanted me..but not now Id turned into a stalker ! He then called and tried to placate me saying he was a fuck up and I didnt get him etc etc he had nothing, his life was shit, no friends, going bankrupt etc etc....but that all we could be now were friends who chatted on fb........and thats where it has been left and I feel devastated, my friends are divided, some say he sounds like an abusive twat, but some of my other friends have said he may genuinelly be screwed up by his relationship breakdown but that I should offer my friendship...I cant stop crying as he has ceased all contact with me and today I dropped him a fb message asking how he was and just got a one word message back....I feel so empty and upset that he could just cut me out of his life and I can meaning nothing overnight Sad

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FourSticks · 23/01/2017 15:53

@ChicRock I was already in the process of starting that..and Im annoyed with myself for setting myself back..I had a horrible marraige breakdown 7 years ago which I struggled to recover from, my ex h was abusive and DA unit were involved, he was having an affair under my nose as well as emotionally abusing me..I thought I was on the path to recovery and spotted the red flags..but sadly not..I do have a crippling low self esteem, I am not attractive and am wrinkly and old..and have a saggy stomach..he sucked me in with all his fake compliments, I know the reality is that I need to love myself..and that I am actually worth so much more..I do see that now and tbh I think he knows it too..I was reading the Mr Unavailable book last night and realised that Im upset because "even he" doesnt want me...but I know its not like that, I probably wouldnt be interested in an available man so yes I have a hell of a lot more work to do on myself Sad

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ChicRock · 23/01/2017 15:25

To need to do some serious work on yourself, lots and lots of counselling and reflection, to work out why you determinedly and consistently ignored the trillions of red flags that were slapping you hard in the face from the word go.

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Suzangre · 23/01/2017 15:19

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Patchouli666 · 23/01/2017 14:04

The thing is, whatever he is, you have the control not to put yourself through it. I really wouldn't waste anymore time thinking and weighing things up. Take away all temptation of contact. Delete his number and block it first so he can't text you. Remove and block off Facebook. and then move on to someone who isn't complicated and can love and commit to you as you sound genuinely caring and nice.

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PreemptiveSalvageEngineer · 23/01/2017 13:31

He doesn't have to be abusive to be too tedious to date. BTW, i think youve been used not just for sex but fir "look how popular I am!" FB tagging. It sucks, but you're lovely and thoughtful and you will get past this and richer/wiser for the experience. HE, on the other hand, will never grow and change, and the older he gets the more ridiculous he'll look to everybody. And THAT's his punishment. And that's also your reward, knowing that he couldnt possibly be good enough for you.

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frieda909 · 23/01/2017 13:07

Oh FourSticks, I really feel for you.

One thing that really jumps out at me in your OP is that I can barely see YOU in it at all. It's all 'he said this, then he decided this, but then he said this, but then he changed his mind again...' and so on. It seems like it's all in his hands and you just come and go at his every whim. Stop and think about what YOU want and what YOU deserve. You don't have to go back to him every time just because he summons you.

It sounds like he is definitely an alcoholic and that's very sad, but unfortunately there isn't anything you can do to help him. The best thing you can do is get away. For good.

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notarehearsal · 23/01/2017 12:48

His personality is unstable, with or without alcohol. He has probably been almost exactly the same in every relationship he has ever had, romantic and otherwise. He won't change (though maybe to get worse)
Please get out now Four Sticks, he will bring you down with him if you don't

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FourSticks · 23/01/2017 12:30

@Racmactac yes you are most likely right, he wants a FWB I think, but he has to pretend that there "may" be a relationship, in order to get them into bed...anyway, from what I saw on his ipad, he wasnt having much success (evil titter) probably because hes not the young, pretty boy he used to be, after years of smoking and drinking, he looks his age but is still chasing after women young enough to be his daughter

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FourSticks · 23/01/2017 12:26

I was attracted to him because he was attractive, there was chemistry and we seemed to have so much in common, esp musically which was important to me, he spent hours on the phone to me before I visited and Ive realised he already established a false connection and before I even visited he was telling me how amazing I was and how he loved everything about me

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Racmactac · 23/01/2017 12:18

Why do you want that level of drama in your life?
He sounds a complete arse. He is on the dating sites because he wants sex probably.
Run away and never look back. Block him on phone and Facebook and don't ever contact him again.
In the meantime work on your self esteem.

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iknowimcoming · 23/01/2017 12:09

The man is an arse, abusive or not, who cares? He has treated you like crap the whole time, put this loser behind you and focus on yourself and improving your self-esteem, so that you won't fall for this bullshit again in the future Flowers

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dangerrabbit · 23/01/2017 12:09

Glad you're starting to think that way, OP. He's not worth your time and you would be better off thinking of yourself and why you were attracted to him in the first place. Do you often go for fixer-uppers? You know they don't provide such good returns in people as they do in property?

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Coffeegrain · 23/01/2017 11:47

Perhaps he does ultimately want one but he isn't capable? The dating sites maybe he is using as a distraction/escape..

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FourSticks · 23/01/2017 11:46

The hing I didnt understand..if he didnt want a relationship..why the dating sites..the fully paid up profile saying he wanted a relationship..I just didnt get that..

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Coffeegrain · 23/01/2017 09:37

It sounds truly exhausting OPFlowers
You deserve so much more. I really hope you can find the strength to break the cycle and get away from him. He is absolutely no good for you and needs to sort himself out.
I somehow think he'll be back in contact.
I hope you can get some support around you. Don't waste anymore time on him! He is also projecting a lot of his issues on you e.g stalker!
It's really hard going no contact but it is what you need to do

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FourSticks · 23/01/2017 09:23

@dangerrabbit yes Im now actually considering that I really need to focus on myself as I realise he was a code red from day one-Ive started reading Mr Unavailable and the Fallback girl and realise, that there are issues I need to deal with..I think if I had not known him for four years I wouldnt have entertained the idea but I was clinging on to the man I "thought" I knew and the apparent evidence that he had been in a committed relationship.....unfortunately for all I know, he could have actually been a complete bastard to all his past girlfriends and interestingly in her email to him, his ex accuses him of using her just to get his hands on investment money to start the business and it seems as though he just viewed her as a piggy bank.
I did a lot of thinking last night, coupled with him calling me up, telling me he was depressed and had no one...I said too right you dont and you dont have me any more, Ive been a bloody idiot, I fell for an illusion, the real him is a pretty boy, spoiled mummys boy who throws his toys out of the pram when he doesnt get his own way, probably sleeps around and who used me....he knew I didnt do FWB arrangements, so had to pretend he really cared and that it was just bad timing, in order to get me into bed..and like a fool, I feel for it hook line and sinker..I feel like a prize muppet

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dangerrabbit · 23/01/2017 09:13

Dodged a bullet there, OP.

Block and delete.

And maybe get therapy to find out why on earth you considered him a suitable partner in the first place, so you don't attract someone similar next time.

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SittingAround1 · 23/01/2017 09:04

He's told you he's fucked up and doesn't want a relationship. I'd believe him.
You can do so much better. He won't bring you any happiness.

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DownTownAbbey · 23/01/2017 08:09

Notice everything is always someone else's fault, never his. Despite the 'I love you' placatary shite you'll be his next scapegoat. He's love bombed you to get you addicted to his affection then kept you dangling as an option whilst freely exploring many others. He's a cunning user so block him and stop being used.

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FourSticks · 23/01/2017 01:49

Maras..true..this only came to light recently..best thing was he blamed his ex girlfriend, saying it was the abuse she put him through..his family all hated her and I noticed all seem to worship the ground he walks him

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maras2 · 23/01/2017 01:42

How can you respect a grown man who pisses the bed most nights let alone that other dating site crap? < shudder >
I'm sure that you can do so much better.

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CrikeyPeg · 23/01/2017 01:31

He's right, he is a fuck up. Not your problem, don't make it yours. Block/delete him. Wine Brew Cake

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FourSticks · 23/01/2017 01:28

@Pemguinsandpebbles I feel bereft because he was so convincing, I really thought initially it was all timing. He sent me a huge bouquet of flowers for no reason and gave me a big "To someone Special " christmas card and wrote.. "all my love xxx in it..no wonder I was confused

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FourSticks · 23/01/2017 01:25

@Blackbird82 Its slowly dawning on me..that none of it was real, I feel sick tbh, he lied a lot to me about the dating sites too, claimed he didnt message people on there when I had seen it with my own eyes

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PenguinsandPebbles · 23/01/2017 01:24

It really does sound awful Flowers

Thankfully you have seen it now, so you can make a clean break and focus on you :)

Your not the first to be sucked in by him or someone like him and you won't be the last, but you can move forward for you now :) your much better off without his drama

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