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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

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What on earth happened?

779 replies

Newbie96 · 01/03/2021 10:55

Hi everyone, long time reader but first-time poster. I'll just jump straight into it. Please be kind.

My boyfriend and I have been together officially for a year, we've known each other since we were around 13 - 14 and attempted to make a go of it as teenagers (around 18) but it never worked. We've been in contact ever since because we both have mutually been drawn to one another. He often tells me he has compared every woman he's been with to me and to be honest I've done the same.

I am now 25 and he is 27. We got together just before lockdown last year and have spent nearly every waking second with each other since. We had been spending a lot of time together prior to lockdown happening and we both jumped at the opportunity to become each other's support bubbles when the time came and to be honest, it has been total bliss, we genuinely never argue, he is like my bestfriend.

Luckily for us, the lockdown has been kind to us mostly because we've had each other to get through it and it has made us grow extremely closer. I can honestly say the past year we both have agreed that we have been the happiest we've ever been, our relationship being one of the main reasons.

We both live alone and so we stay back and forth between his place and mine, only having to travel now and then for work etc. Due to our history and of course how much time we've spent together, emotions have definitely intensified and I am very much in love with this man, he knows this and tells me he feels the same way.

So fast forward to the weekend just gone, we had planned that I would spend the weekend at his house. I arrive at around 6:30 on Friday evening and things are good but I can sense that something is off/ or that he isn't exactly in the mood. I decide to ignore it but it seems to only get worse. Usually, we would sit down, have a conversation about our day and watch a series episode together which we commentate back and forth with each other but this time it's pure silence. Neither of us was physical with each other, he actually even sat on the furthest part of the sofa away from me. I can honestly say this was the first time I felt a little unwelcome in his home, which is odd considering how much time I have spent there and I've never felt this way before.

I mean maybe I overlooked everything far too much so please tell me if that appears to be the case. An hour of silence goes by, most of the time it was him on his phone whilst I watched the episode by myself, he stands up and asks if I am hungry, I say yeah and he says okay I will cook something for us. As it was the first proper real words we had spoken to each other all night, I decided to ask if everything was okay? he says yeah so in a jokey, laughing tone I ask if he wants me over tonight as it feels a little as if I'm intruding.

Well what happens next I didn't expect it at all, he is stood in the doorway of the living room and begins to get more and more wound up, he starts off by saying "of course I want you over but you have been sat there all night with this miserable look on your face, giving off bad energy" his voice is slightly raised but I don't retaliate and I calmy say "okay well I must have read it wrong, I wasn't trying to give off bad energy, I've been looking forward to seeing you all day" but he is so annoyed and goes off again accusing me of being the reason why the energy is so wrong between us tonight and how dare I blame him for it. I apologise again and say that I must have had a long day. He then goes on to say "well this is weird for me now so I think its best you leave" I am in shock as he walks out of the living room into the kitchen, in an attempt to let things settle, I leave it 5 minutes and walk into the kitchen with him and ask if he would really like me to leave? He responds "I'm just saying maybe its best", the thing is I can see on his face he is visually angry and in my head, I can't figure out why he is so annoyed, over something that in my mind was so trivial and silly. Like a fricken helpless puppy dog, I look at him again and ask if HE wants me to leave? and he responds "you know what yeah I do".

I take myself to the other room and begin packing up my stuff and I can hear him stomping and slamming about. I obviously felt a little confused because the whole situation felt extremely blown out of proportion. Once my things are packed I give it one last attempt and go and sit next to him on the sofa, I ask him if we can talk about this and I gently reach my hand out to touch his arm, but he blows up and is practically foaming from the mouth shouting at me not to touch him and that he just wants me to leave, at one point he swings the front door open and walks out of the front door in nothing his dressing gown, I don't chase him because I was honestly just shocked. He begins texting me telling me to leave his house or he won't come back? - I replied and told him I'm leaving but I would have appreciated it if he came back and just spoke to me. After 5/6 minutes pass, he comes storming back into the flat, pushing past me in the hall and is still foaming at the mouth shouting at how it's my fault and I'm making it worse by not leaving. Like a fool, I started to cry because I could see this has all escalated into a situation I didn't want for us at all. He tells me crying doesn't help the situation so tearfully I leave. As I wait outside for a cab, I check my phone and notice that he has blocked my number, my WhatsApp and my Instagram. I am totally confused and hurt by all of this and in my honest moment of craziness, I create another account on Instagram and message "I'm sorry for everything that just happened, I didn't expect any of that. I accept I was in the wrong and that I read the situation wrong, please can we talk when things are calmer?" he replies "please just let me know when you are home as I won't be able to sleep until I know your home" I leave it and let him know I am home, he bluntly replies "good, night" I again press on and I ask if we can talk? he responds and says "no I just want to go to sleep, we have been so good lately and now I'm laying here crying," I tell him I love him and that I don't want him to be sad, he replies and says he knows I do and that I should go to sleep.

Saturday morning comes and I message saying I hope he is okay and that again when things are calmer can we talk about this? he reads and doesn't respond. Sunday I message again along the same lines but telling him I miss him, again he reads and doesn't respond.

This morning I received a message from him saying "I told you that you were just making everything worse on Friday and you just didn't listen, you just thought you knew better and now I'm going to show you what I meant. I don't care, sorry" I sent some messages, honestly being very weak and pitiful, telling him that I would just like us to talk and sort this out as I miss him and this isn't like us at all, I then check for a response and he has blocked me from that account as well, so there are no ways of contacting him.

I just can't make sense of it all, we have never argued like this ever. I didn't expect him to blow up the way he did after asking him if everything was okay. I just feel like its all my fault for ruining something that we had so good. I feel really sad, low and alone and just wish he would calm down and speak to me.

Please give me your take on this entire, childish and shit situation. Did I do something wrong? and is he really never going to speak to me again over that?

Thank you

OP posts:
Loopyloututu2 · 03/03/2021 20:21

Aw love Flowers. You are SO young - it upsets me to think of someone nice like you losing sleep over such a horrid man, you’re not that much older than my dd. You sound really sweet and quite an “eager to please” person which is probably one of the reasons he likes you - he thinks you’ll be easy to manipulate and gaslight! And if my dd told me a story like yours, with the anger and frothing at the mouth I’d be horrified and extremely worried if she decided to go back to him.

Keep in the forefront of your mind the way he made you feel when he was flipping out. You shouldn’t be in fear of the man who’s supposed to love you. This in particular stood out:
you just thought you knew better and now I'm going to show you what I meant. I don't care, sorry" in his text to you. I mean - “and now I’m going to show you what I meant” Confused It’s actually quite sinister!

PetalPath · 03/03/2021 20:22

Not caring is a good start, you would be within your rights to find him repulsive.

Disillusioned4now · 03/03/2021 20:22

Are you reading the dumped by text thread OP? - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/3800477-Dumped-by-text?postsby=user1471427667&fromid=93271364

I also wasted 5 years of my mid twenties in an a relationship where I was treated very badly. Oh how I wish I had run for the hills are the first red flag and not wasted so much time desperate for him to be the man I thought he was/could be. The truth is good men who love you don’t treat you this way......ever. Yes you have disagreements but this isn’t that. I was soooooooooo much happier on my own when I finally saw the light and kicked him the curb. And then I met some lovely men while dating who reminded me how I should be treated. And then I met my DH who treats me like a queen. Always. You deserve so much better sweetheart. Please stay strong. The hurt will only last a little while. If you stay it will be repeated and dragged out again and again. Remember your self worth and self respect and don’t St and for anything less than absolute love, kindness, compassion and respect. Your future older wiser self will thank you for it xxxxxxxxxx

Bluetrews25 · 03/03/2021 20:26

Sweetheart, you have dodged a bullet.
All your updates show what a nasty manipulator he is.
Keep that bulletproof vest on a while longer, though.

RandomMess · 03/03/2021 20:46

Absolute classic abuser hoovering you back in 🙄

I hope you have found your anger!!

justilou1 · 03/03/2021 20:48

I knew he’d try crawling back again.... He’s sticking to the scumbag script, isn’t he?

stuckinatrap · 03/03/2021 20:56

The ex is your friend here. That sick feeling the thought is giving you is what you will have to go through over and over if you let him back in.

You don't ever want to feel as bad as you've felt this week - and the good news is, you don't have to.

It hurts. You'll grieve - and I mean really go through all the stages. They cycle in and out for a short while. You'll feel desperately sad, then angry, then positive, then sad again... and it will go round and round until you realise the sad and angry bits are shorter and the positive bits are longer until the sad and angry times stop coming all together - and then you are free!

Communicating with him puts you back in the danger zone for him saying something or doing something that plunges you straight back into sadness and anger again.

Don't give him the power. You need your power for yourself

PetalPath · 03/03/2021 21:00

This textbook stuff. As a previous poster said, keep ignoring and the next message will be some sort of very weak vague apology. You will get a little satisfaction, but it may feel hollow, and have you seething further.
Finally, you may get insults, either implied or blatant. This is when you’ll know you’re dealing with an unstable, immature, toxic person. At that point I would feel forced to block and breathe a sigh of relief.

Do something nice for yourself, a mani or pedi, lovely bath stuff, whatever you enjoy. You need a little looking after and spoiling at the moment, be the best friend to yourself that he’s displayed he’s not.

MrJollyLivesNextDoor · 03/03/2021 21:16

OP you don't need this cunt in your life, I think you already know this

Read his text

Don't respond - after all what is there to say? He's a raving dressing gown wearing lunatic who can't be reasoned with!

It will do his head in and you will probably hear further

Repeat as above

Laugh at the silly fool

You sound great btw. He isn't

RosyPrimroseDoll · 03/03/2021 21:23

You are doing great OP. We can't let men people get away with treating their partners like this. Read the dumped by text thread- it is epic!
KOKO

CherryDocsInYrBalls · 03/03/2021 21:35

Op, he is your lesson in narcissistic abuse. Read up on love bombing, triangulation, stonewalling, narcissistic rage and supply. It is painful now but you will recover and thrive. I listened to a lot of Stephanie Lyn coaching videos on YouTube and she takes you through their tactics and how to deal with them (no contact is best). He will try his best to hoover you back in because you are a source of narcissistic supply to him, not a person. Keep going and sorry if all that has been said I just read your posts

TheresAnEyeInMeSoup · 03/03/2021 21:37

Another one here saying dont reply.

I did this with my ex and I kick myself. Also, like yours, mine wanted to meet up and 'talk' and stupidly I heard him out. He had nothing useful or meaningful to say and certainly never apologised for anything. I think it was just a power trip. I should blocked his angry, immature, hairy arse.

I'm winding myself up thinking about him now and this was years ago!!

Be strong OP. Just block. And if you cant do that, then ignore, ignore, ignore!

SpilltheTea · 03/03/2021 21:41

Take the power back and do not reply. How dare he think he can message you so casually after all that. Telling you he's ready to talk as if it's all on his terms. His existence doesn't deserve to be acknowledged by you. You can get through this.

justilou1 · 03/03/2021 21:50

Brace yourself:- a Mantrum is the next response to ignoring him. He’d rather eat shit than acknowledge that he was responsible for that ridiculous (and quite frankly, frightening) outburst. He’s going to make that your fault, and your lack of response is going to be “yet another example” of why he was “right” to explode in the first place. This is called gaslighting. It is mental abuse.

Roszie · 03/03/2021 22:02

He will say he forgives you for making him angry. The prick.

Psychonabike · 03/03/2021 22:07

@Newbie96Men like this are all about the drama, the intensity...what you are feeling is addiction to the highs of the relationship, the times it seemed so intense. A little bit of unpredictability is quite intoxicating. If you look into addiction, you'll see that the most addictive pattern or behaviour and reward is called the "variable reinforcement schedule" (aka intermittent reinforcement) when the rewards are completely erratic and unpredictable.

tealswan.com/resources/articles/intermittent-reinforcement-why-you-cant-leave-the-relationship-r210/

Remind yourself that the intense feelings you have, the urge to respond to him, to scratch that itch again, is all unhealthy addiction and bad for you not love. And the best way to treat that is cold turkey. Get real with yourself and treat yourself to some tough love. Block, block, block, block his name on fb so you can't see him and he can't see you...everywhere you possibly can.

The other half of the problem (his half, not yours) is that he found in you someone who was willing to be treated this way. Every red flag you showed that you were prepared to ignore told him this. The first moment he was an utter cunt on the last evening you were together, when you didnt gather up your self respect and say "something isn't right here, and it's not me. I'm leaving now" and instead apologised with no idea what you were apologising for, cajoled, begged, and remained there to be abused, you reinforced his addition to you a little. There was no doubt in my mind on reading your OP that he'd reach out to you again...and without any apology, because you showed him exactly what kind of behaviour you would accept. He is going to keep trying to reach out to you, and if he wins you over the cycle will repeat.

Stop now, manage your addiction. This is not love. Real love isn't intense and uncomfortable. It doesn't leave you clamouring to please someone. Real love exists alongside healthy boundaries and self respect.

It's worth having a think about how your early experience with him might have contributed to your ideas about love. Men like this (and rom coms!) can really screw up our ideas and expectations around relationships.

TheStoic · 03/03/2021 22:09

Not responding at all is a good idea. As long as you also block him immediately.

However, I’d consider responding in a way that makes it clear that you are not angry (even if you are) but that HE blew it with you, due to
his irrational behaviour.

‘You seem to be emotional and unstable at the moment, and unfortunately I don’t think I can help with that. It might be a good idea to get some professional help. Please don’t contact me again.’

And then BLOCK.

LBXXX · 03/03/2021 22:21

Oh yes I LOVE that response ^^

MeowPurrGrr · 03/03/2021 22:26

Please stay strong! I wish more than anything I had mumsnet back when I went through this, I wouldn’t have taken him back after the night he threw me.out of his house. He did it again and once tried to in the middle of the night but I refused to leave so he sulked on the sofa! He had no consideration for my safety or welfare! I strongly believe if i were living with him when it ended he would most certainly have thrown me out without a care of where’d I’d go!

Yours acted appallingly, blamed you and then let you live days of hell before he causally messaged you again...a very half arsed attempt at contact with no recognition of what he’d done to you. If he really cared he’d be begging for your forgiveness, maybe even turning up at your house? Why hasn’t he? I’m sorry to say it, he doesn’t care. He just trying to do ‘the right thing’ so if anyone calls him out on his behaviour he’ll tell them he messaged you and wanted to speak but you refused...so he looks the good guy and you’re the bad.

Don’t reply, nothing will change as others here have said.

I know it hurts like hell, but we’ve got you Flowers and it will get easier with time...I promise.

LookMoreCloselier · 03/03/2021 22:27

You hold the power by not responding. From his perspective the worst thing you can do is nothing. Anything else shows him you care or gives him ammunition.

Weirdlynormal · 03/03/2021 22:39

Block him OP. Don't give yourself the angst. It took me a year to stay away from someone like that. It bugged me every day, but I did it and so will you.

My god you've saved yourself so much future heartache, you are rocking it Flowers

BlueThistles · 03/03/2021 22:46

Silence is the deafening OP.. remember that lovely 🌺

Milkshake7489 · 03/03/2021 22:46

Whatever the reason you don't deserve to be treated that way. Hope you're doing OK OP Flowers.

ShesMadeATwatOfMePam · 03/03/2021 22:48

I bet my house that he wasn't done with you and here he is crawling back, expecting you to apologise to him and to just brush it under the rug now he says so.

If you were to get back together with him, (not recommended) this cycle is it forever. That's your life. Trying to second guess what might set him off and trying to do things to avoid it, even if it's not what you want.

I wish id had Mumsnet when this happened to me. It took me a good few years after i broke up with him to realise it was abuse.

All of us here are telling you this because we have been there, got the t shirt. This is how it starts. You've got all the power here. You can choose not to engage, and just walk away. If you reply to him at all, he has an opening to draw you in with all the "meant for each other" bollocks. You'll end up apologising to him and he will have free rein to do it again.

You're so much better than him. You deserve a happy life and a good relationship. He can't offer you that. If you don't believe me, maybe counselling will help with your self esteem. Nip it in the bud. Your relationship with him isn't what you thought it was all this time. That's ok, it's not your fault. Don't feel stupid, or like you shouldn't cry. You've lost what you genuinely felt was a loving relationship. Grieve, then move on.

harknesswitch · 03/03/2021 22:48

Whilst you don't respond you hold the power.

Just think, in reality what would happen if you did respond, what would you say, would it be an angry text, would you want to discuss it calmly, would you want answers. Now think about what he's likely to say back to you. Would you get answers, would he want to discuss it, would he apologise for his behaviour? Never in a million years would it pan out the way you want it to. In reality you'd be left feeling worse than you do now, plus maybe a bit embarrassed as he's suddenly taken control and remove all yours.

Don't respond. If you want a little game, open it so he knows you've read it, then block him. That way you will know if your phone bleeps it can't be him

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