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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

Reconciling and now being ignored

55 replies

Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 16:58

Hi, sorry for the long post. I'll try keep it short but need advice.
Husband and I split up last year which was amicable but still difficult. I started seeing someone I kinda knew from work a few months later (no longer work together now) and it was going great for a long time but we kept it secret. Just before we were due to not work together anymore I started to get annoyed that he still didn't want to tell anyone about me even his best friends. I was also stressed with some seperation stuff which he was understanding about but I got huffy a few times and had a go at him. Nothing terrible hough and for example I wanted to go on holiday as we had planned and there was always a reason why we couldn't plan anything.
Anyway he then dumped me at the end of July saying I pushed him too far. I accepted full responsibility and tried to say sorry and get him back and fix things but he was done. Ashamed to say but I probably did some pleading and came across as needy. Anyway I gave up and left him to it but a few weeks later we started messaging again and we met up and slept with each other. I was adamant I didn't want a FWB situation and I wanted to reconcile. Anyway after a week he would always go quiet then I would try to get him talking and the same thing kept happening. He kept saying he couldn't trust I would have a go at him and how he was willing to give me what I wanted if I had just been more patient etc.
Anyway after going back and forth including him giving me the silent treatment for 5 days then telling me he didn't want me we started talking again and have been messaging every day for 4 weeks and met up once. We don't live near each other but we didn't have an issue being in a long distance relationship.
He was always telling me what I did wrong then I would work on that and change it but then there would be another thing I was doing wrong, always shifting the goalposts.

He has been working away and doing long days and I was understanding he was busy. He said I had to do things at his pace which I was ok with but at the weekend I asked if we could call each other rather than message and he said I didn't need to ask but he would call when he could. Anyway on Tuesday he said he wasn't busy and I stupidly suggested he could call if he wants then he went off on one saying I don't listen and I keep going over the same stuff! I only wanted s phone call as I'm tired of trying to reconcile only on whatsapp. Anyway I had a bad feeling he would go quiet so I tried to get him talking which I know deep down he hates but I didn't know what else to do and I regret talking about phone calls!!

I haven't heard from him since!! He has read all my messages and I feel like a twat for messaging but he will not respond. I don't if he ever will!! I have stopped messaging now. There is no point in me trying to call as I know he won't answer.
I'm completely gutted and still blame myself for everything that went wrong and don't know what to do!!
I always seem to do everything wrong and get blamed for everything and I end up tiptoeing around worried I'll say the wrong thing and I'll upset him or he will feel pressured. It never used to be like this but I'm not allowed to say anything or he gets upset.
I'll likely never hear from him again and I'm completely heartbroken!
Any help or advice is appreciated.

OP posts:
BackInTheRoom · 22/11/2018 18:08

Was he your affair partner?

abbey44 · 22/11/2018 18:10

He wants a relationship purely on his own terms, and he's training you to fit in with his ideas. Slowly but surely, you're bending to his will, and if you carry on, you'll find your self-respect and your self-esteem will have vanished. The Mr Nice that he can be is the sweetener to keep you hanging on. Resist it. Be strong and do yourself a favour. Get out now, while you can, and one day you'll see that you had a lucky escape.

Good luck.

Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 18:18

Is this what being ghosted feels like then.....
It's so humiliating trying to have a reasonable chat over something so silly to just be ignored. I haven't heard squat for days! What an idiot I am. I can't be bothered going crazy at him as it's pointless and would just be used as ammunition so I'm trying to keep the last bit of self respect I have.

OP posts:
CharlotteCollinsneeLucas · 22/11/2018 18:41

It is pointless! Don't contact him!

Don't think of it as a waste of time. You've learnt something: about how people can appear nice for a while but eventually the cracks start to appear. And you've learnt about the behaviour you won't tolerate. And that you're strong enough to walk away.

Well, that's what you will have learnt, once you walk away.

Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 18:49

Think the walking away bit has been taking away as an option now that I'm the one being completely ignored.
How did I not realise all this earlier!! And now I'm the one who has to be all miserable and miss him. Because that's the saddest thing about it, I totally miss him!! Apart from a few days here and there we have been in contact every day for a yeah and half. I feel lost and he won't be giving a shit!

OP posts:
Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 18:49

Sorry for the rant

OP posts:
HeavenlyEyes · 22/11/2018 18:53

Where is your self esteem?

Sod what he wants - stop worrying about him and start looking after yourself.

And you must do the Freedom Programme. I wonder if previous relationships have treated you equally as badly.

maximumcarnage · 22/11/2018 18:53

Rant away. But as a previous poster pointed out it’s a learning experience. Hang with some friends. Watch a favourite movie. Go do something fun. Why let this meat bag spoil things for you?

CharlotteCollinsneeLucas · 22/11/2018 18:57

No, you can still walk away. You block him.

Then you've taken back control. At the moment, you're still waiting for him to get in touch, hoping to hear from him.

Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 19:06

I just feel pathetic.
Like I keep thinking that if i was more chilled and laid back we would be ok but then I think to myself I didn't make unreasonable demands!! This is over a suggestion for a phone call!

OP posts:
abbey44 · 22/11/2018 19:25

You're not pathetic at all. You've been manipulated by someone who's very good at it - look how well it's worked! The thing is, with people like this, what you are or do will never ever be enough or right. They change the goalposts constantly and you're left struggling to catch up. The problem isn't you - it's HIM.

Honestly, it's very easy to fall into this, it happens gradually and it's only once you've walked away that you'll be able to see what was really going on. It takes a while, though. I've been there - never again.

oiiiiiii · 22/11/2018 19:28

@Emeraldcleo123 I'm sorry about your situation. I can imagine how you're feeling. It's not nice is it?

Can I suggest you read up on adult attachment styles? Your posts ring out as someone with anxious-preoccupied attachment, and this guy you were seeing has very obviously got avoidant attachment. If you read up on attachment styles, you're learn that the way this relationship played out is actually fairly textbook.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_in_adults

www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/compassion-matters/201307/how-your-attachment-style-impacts-your-relationship

If you get to know your attachment style and its strengths and weaknesses you might be able to spot the signs a bit earlier next time.

He is allowed to not want to commit, but you're also allowed to want to commit. Ultimately you two simply don't fit together and that's neither of your faults. From his pov, however silly it sounds, he saw your demands as unreasonable - which means he's not right for you and you know that now.

It's no-one's fault. There will be plenty of people on here saying he's a nob etc and he doesn't sound great, but, ultimately, he's allowed to want what he prefers, as do you. The trick is, neither of you should have been trying to obtain things from each other, that the other didn't want to give...

Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 19:41

I see what you mean. I was happy to go at his pace and he used to be so sweet with me and affectionate. I wanted the old him back that's all. He became so cold and distant.
I am gutted. Currently wallowing in a pit of I'll never meet someone I was that attracted to again!!

OP posts:
oiiiiiii · 22/11/2018 19:44

I'll never meet someone I was that attracted to again

This feeling is really common at the end of a relationship of anxiously attached and avoidantly attached people. It's because the chasing and the highs and lows create a false sense of intimacy that's really addictive. The relationship can feel extremely intense because of the dynamics in play.

You are going to be fine - I know that's cold comfort but it really will be fine. Wait the feelings out, let them happen, and you will feel more hopeful in time x

Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 19:50

It sad that it's ended like this. I would never just ignore someone after all that time. He always prided himself on always being honest and telling people stuff even if it wasn't what they wanted to hear. Yet I'm sat here wondering what happened and if I'll ever hear from him again

OP posts:
Lookatyourwatchnow · 22/11/2018 19:56

The worst thing that could happen to you now would be for him to get in touch and for you to be dragged right back in to the same cycle of humiliation. You sound nice, OP, but really vulnerable to being walked all over and even controlled. I know how shit it feels now but please, for you, take steps to build yourself up and never ever reply to him again (when he inevitably messages you in a few days/weeks)

Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 20:02

I used to think I was quite a strong person and fairly chilled out! This relationship has turned me a bit loopy. I've been seeing a therapist but because she has had to listen to my weekly dramas about trying to reconcile with this guy we haven't really focussed on what I can do to better myself. I want some self esteem back!!

OP posts:
Singlenotsingle · 22/11/2018 20:27

I may be wrong but I've got a feeling there's someone else in the background. If a man loves you and is proud of you, he wants the whole world to know. He doesn't want it to be a secret. Did you ever go back to his house?

Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 20:31

Yeah I've been to his house loads and not just for a night but s few days at a time and going out and about where he lives. He always just said he was a private person.
We used to do lots of normal things together. He told a couple of people that we worked with and were close with but never his own friends and family.
I have regrets. Maybe he was just a really sensitive person who didn't want me making any requests!

OP posts:
RyderWhiteSwan · 22/11/2018 20:35

No he wasn't a really sensitive person. Just a selfish one. Please don't put him on a pedestal.

ImNotKitten · 22/11/2018 20:56

I doubt he deserves the luxury of being labelled sensitive. It’s really going to be much more helpful to you if you can focus on yourself now instead of psychoanalysing him. Don’t waste another minute of your life on him.

Emeraldcleo123 · 22/11/2018 21:02

I really miss him though. I know it's my own fault as I focussed to much energy on him, got swept away and ignored the other stuff in my life. Used to get so excited for his messages etc and now my phone is quiet. Silly I know but I just got so used to it.

OP posts:
ImNotKitten · 22/11/2018 21:16

Can you keep busy with other things? Fill your diary with anything you can, seeing friends, going out. It’ll be good for your self-esteem and also a welcome distraction. When you find your thoughts flitting back to him, do something practical to take your mind off it.

You can and will have a happy fulfilling life without him. It hasn’t been a complete waste of time if you’ve enjoyed yourself and learnt lessons I.e. not to be too intense and make someone the centre of your world next time. But agonising over it now really would be a waste of your time, energy and well-being.

ravenmum · 22/11/2018 21:43

Were you married long? The first relationship I had after splitting up with my exh was very intense - far more intense than necessary. Fortunately he was quite a nice player in my case, just very flaky, and we have stayed friendly after I realised how stupid I was being ignoring the glaring inconsistencies ... but I think it's an easy trap to fall into when you start a new relationship after a long, difficult one. (If this was an affair, especially, I know from my ex's that they are all glitter and excitement, setting you up for a hard let-down.)

This guy sounds pretty dreadful though, trying to make out that his nonsense was all your fault. Making you feel guilty about him being a dick? You don't want to be doing with that!

SandyY2K · 22/11/2018 21:56

You need an ego boost. You won't get what you want from this guy...because you're desperation and desire is way more than his.