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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

DH has no friends and following me round the house

288 replies

DotDashDottyDashy · 11/10/2021 16:23

My husband dropped his friends years ago and he has nothing to do with his family. He now works at home since the pandemic and his employer has made this a permanent thing. I already worked at home because I freelance. He goes to a book club once a month, but apart from that I am literally never alone in the house. He doesn't count the book-club members as friends and he will never stay for a drink after they've discussed the book as the rest of them do. I have lots of friends and interests that take me out of the house, but sometimes I'd just like some time in the house on my own without hearing his ever-there presence - the TV, his stomping and sighing.

If I close a door behind me (e.g. if I'm reading in the snug or in the bath, I close the door so I can't hear the TV that he has on all the time, or if I'm in my office I keep the door closed so I can't hear him on his work calls), he will always, without fail, find a reason to come into the room, and then leave the door open on his way back out. If I ask him to close the door behind him, he always frowns and sighs very loudly and exaggeratedly. I find this so unpleasant that I've stopped asking him to close the door and I wait until he's gone, then quietly close it myself. He wants to watch TV every night, whereas I don't - sometimes I want to read or do some drawing or something, but if I say this, he always asks why can't I do it in the same room as him (the reason is because the TV is distracting, but also I just want some time on my own as well sometimes) or he'll pull a 'jokey' sulky pouty face and say sarcastically 'oh that's nice'. Or, he'll give it half an hour, then come and join me in whatever room I'm in, sit next to me, and scroll through his phone.

He cares very deeply about furniture, decor and clothes. He watches what I do in the house and corrects things I do. For example, if I put the box of teabags on the kitchen counter, he'll lift it up to put a protective mat under it. Or he'll pretend he's admiring the knife I'm using and come to look at it (when in reality I know it's because he wants to make sure none of the veg I'm chopping have fallen off the chopping board onto the worktop). If he thinks one of us might have damaged something, he goes nuts, even if he can't see any damage with his naked eye, so he'll do things like get a torch to inspect it. I never do things to his standards - I apparently do gardening wrong, cleaning wrong, bedmaking wrong, washing wrong.

He doesn't like us using things in case we damage them, so the kitchen worktops are covered in lots of protective mats (so we can hardly see any of the worktop now) and the settees are covered in protective throws. And he gets really tense when we have visitors in case they damage something.

If I try discussing anything with him, he either denies whatever I say (even stupid things that are obviously true - it's his default position to just deny anything I say. I could point out his grey hair and he'd deny it's grey), or he gets really defensive, or more often than not he just walks away and refuses to discuss anything with me, going completely silent on me. He literally never gets riled or worked up. He likes to ignore me when I ask something of him, and if I repeat myself, he'll just say really dismissively and calmly, "yeah I heard you", but then he won't comment any further. He also makes things up about me. For example, he was sorting out our important documents and I asked him to leave mine alone and I would sort them myself, and he told me that I had lost my driving licence once so I shouldn't do the sorting and should let him do it. I know for a fact that I've never lost my driving licence, but he was so adamant that I started believing him. He could tell me I'm spelling my name wrong and he'd be so believable that I'd doubt how my own name is spelt.

I'm 20 years into this marriage, and now I'm perimenopausal, and suddenly I'm just drained by it. We're currently not talking to each other at all after he was snappy with me on Saturday all day but wouldn't tell me what the issue was. He does that a lot - snapping and frowning at me, but if I ask him what's wrong he says "nothing" every single time. I really fucking hate the silent treatment - I think it's a pathetic game and really manipulative, but I can't be arsed trying to engage with him anymore, so I'm just not bothering. I know I'm in the wrong not talking to him, but I'm exhausted by him and actually it's quite nice not having to talk to him and listen to him go on about how his work colleagues have wronged him this week.

OP posts:
burritofan · 11/10/2021 19:42

47! You’ve got so much life left to live, imagine spending it with a man who’s this bad now and is only going to get fussier and more controlling. You’ll drown in protective mats.

Your friends will still be your friends if you have to take your equity and move away to afford to your life; your hobbies will come with you and be an avenue to new friends. Old misery mats will stay behind.

DotDashDottyDashy · 11/10/2021 19:42

@TatianaBis

Enjoy your bath.
Smile Thank you
OP posts:
youvegottenminuteslynn · 11/10/2021 19:43

The boiling frog analogy is bang on - the notion that a frog immersed in gradually heating water will fail to notice the creeping change in its circumstances, even as it's literally being boiled alive.

GoWalkabout · 11/10/2021 19:44

Its in that no mans land of being more than annoying and hugely restrictive but not criminally abusive. And mid life is the worst period, things do get better into your fifties. From your posts, it sounds like there is zero chance of him changing. So you either experiment with changing your response to see if it helps, accept it or leave. How do you feel when you think about sitting next to him over dinner in ten years time when he's fussier and more clingy and more critical?

Famousinlove · 11/10/2021 19:46

@DotDashDottyDashy

You don’t sound like you want to leave, but clubs and friends can be travelled to

I'm just so drained by him and by perimenopause that I can't even contemplate trying to navigate divorce plus him being an utter bastard once he knows I want to leave. He'd rather lose money himself than see me get half of everything and I know he'd do everything he could to block selling the house/progressing a divorce etc. He hates feeling "wronged" even over really petty minor things (he always needs to be the victor) so being divorced would send him over the edge .

Can you put a huge mark on the kitchen counter? Sounds like he would probably divorce you then

In all seriousness though it's no way to live

PattiPritell · 11/10/2021 19:46

It's strange because someone like him doesn't sound happy with his life whether he is controlling you or not - I mean what has he that makes him happy (you, he seems to find full of faults). Why doesn't he want to change his life?
Anyway there is nothing stopping him and he is choosing not to so I think you need to make a plan to leave.

And 47 is not at all old. Cancer or another debilitating disease is very unlikely for a long time yet.
Start looking for some accommodation you can afford when you leave if it might take a while to find something. Plan for the new year if not before.

seriousandloyal · 11/10/2021 19:53

Oh my god OP you poor woman, how can you bear to live like this - it has made me feel stifled even just reading about it. 47 is no age, just leave! There is so much freedom and happiness ahead of you if you just reach for it. No house is worth living like this, just to have a much smaller place without this suffocating presence and scrutiny would be so much better. Good luck x

TheSilveryPussycat · 11/10/2021 19:58

You don't have to wait till April. You can divorce him on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour. It makes no difference if he disagrees with your reasons, nor do you need his permission. And as others have said, consult a good solicitor.

Learningtobeafeministagain · 11/10/2021 20:07

@HollowTalk

He'd be under my patio by now, I'm afraid. How are you not driven insane by him?
This.

You are being controlled and he is abusive. Not giving you peace in the bath is ridiculous - can’t you lock the door? But he is highly controlling - so alter it or leave it

Learningtobeafeministagain · 11/10/2021 20:11

Would you want him looking after you if you were ill though? And controlling you from leaving the house?

You have tried to talk to him. Try divorce. Half is yours - so buy somewhere far smaller or take some cash and rent a room or a small flat but it’s yours

MalteseBubs · 11/10/2021 20:21

OP you're still young you have half a lifetime ahead of you.

Have a serious think about how to leave your current situation because it's getting worse rather than better and you're finally getting to see the real him and it's dawning on you that's it's not something that's giving you much joy.

MrsSkylerWhite · 11/10/2021 20:24

I think he sounds quite unwell.

Lessofallthisunpleasantness · 11/10/2021 20:28

He doesn't sound abusive just set in his ways and a bit obsessive. I should try and find a new job that requires you to be away. Or go away on research trips etc if you can.

fournonblondes · 11/10/2021 20:30

If you stay with him you need more time away from the house. Travelling or short breaks, coffee with friends, more hobbies.

funnelfanjo · 11/10/2021 20:43

@DotDashDottyDashy
No, not just the house. Also fear of not having enough money to start again. I'm a freelancer - what if my earnings drop and I can't pay my bills. Also fear of being lonely. I don't have children and my family is very small. All I'll have are my friends and hobbies - will that be enough? Will I feel empty and a lack of love? Also what will I do on Christmas day? Also what about going on holiday? Also my parents are elderly and my dad has dementia. What if they deteriorate further? I don't get paid if I take time off to help them, and I'll have no one to emotionally support me through watching my dad go through a horrible disease like dementia or hug me when he gets worse. What if I get seriously ill - cancer or dementia or something - myself? How will I earn money? Who will look after me? What if I die on my own in my house and no one finds me for days or weeks because I don't have children or family?

Dotty, do you feel love now? Do you get hugs now? Do you feel like if you were seriously ill, your H would look after you freely and with love now? Does he give you emotional support about your parents now?

Because from what you say, it would seem better to cut your losses, knowing for sure that you will have to form a different support network. Rather than be continually disappointed in and let down by your "D"H. If you want to go on holiday - you will find a way, either with friends or as a solo traveller (I did it myself for 20 years). Christmas is just one day and you'll be able to make your own choice on what do. You're only 47, you've potentially got another 35 years of this life!

Don't let the fear of the unknown stop you freeing yourself from this misery.

Winniemarysarah · 11/10/2021 20:48

Do us all a favour and the next time he’s hovering over you in the kitchen, yell at him to fuck off and stop watching you. I’m so intrigued as to what his reaction would be!

FreshFreesias · 11/10/2021 20:52

Ugh. Please leave this abuser,
I’m single and have no family but I have a few friends like you, and life will be so much better.

Milliepossum · 11/10/2021 20:55

OP, you aren’t seen as a person but instead as an object to control. You may think he ‘allows’ you to go out and have interests but he will punish you for doing so in his own passive-aggressive way afterwards. He makes you feel scared and anxious to be in the house in case you scratch anything, because you aren’t a person you need to be invisible and not make a mess or show any sign you actually exist. He complains about people being in the house and damaging things because this is a way of further isolating you by making you think it’s not worth the argument to have people over. He doesn’t want you to do paperwork because he can take away this independence from you too and is probably already controlling the finances. Covering the couch and kitchen worktops is horrible and designed to diminish you.

This is all so very far from normal. But every little thing over the years slowly became your new normal. Your husband is extremely abusive. Covert passive-aggressives are the worst. You said yourself if you met him today you’d never marry him. I said this to myself so many times too, when I wanted to leave I almost lost my life because I was not a person, but a possession that wouldn’t do as I was told and believe me he thought I needed his permission to leave and that it was only his decision. He too considered that everything was his, but OP that’s not true, you will likely get more than you think, and whatever you get is enough to get out of what will just keep getting worse. If I were you I’d check my phone as he is likely tracking you and I would also be wary of a keystroke tracker on your computer. This is no way for you to live. You don’t have children, just get yourself out of this horrible situation.

Mine died and now I can do what I want, even so, I still catch myself before I put something down on a table in case it will scratch it, or trying to not put my shoe on the strike plate in the door opening when getting into the car in case it gets scratched (yes even this was controlled) and this is not normal and I am working on unravelling more than 2 decades of ‘training’ to be a non entity - don’t let it get any worse, please leave.

wewereliars · 11/10/2021 20:58

I wish people who have no understanding of an abusive relationship and its dynamics would not pop up on threads like this and say the person is not abusive.

It can take a long time to recognise that things are badly wrong in a relationship, and by the time you come on a board like this you are probably at the end of a long difficult road.

If you have not experienced one at close quarters, you really have no idea unless perhaps you have specialist training. So best say nothing.

Dacquoise · 11/10/2021 20:59

I can understand your fears about finances on divorce but you really need to get some solid advice regarding this. I would suggest a direct access barrister to give you an idea of likely outcome if it were to go to court. Might be the best advice you ever pay for. I have found solicitors tend to be quite vague about actual figures on divorce.

As an example my DPs exW was awarded 50% of all assets, plus 50% pension share, plus capitalised spousal maintenance until she was able to draw one of the pensions at age 60. Maintenance was based on the difference between what she earned and what her stated monthly needs were. No children. She only worked part-time (had run her job down to the minimum). 20 year marriage, early fifties. I can't see why you would be given less than 50% as a minimum after such a long marriage.

Don't know what your finances are but you mentioned your husband earns a lot more than you. It's worth finding out if only to give you the courage to leave. It may not be as bad as you think.

EwwSprouts · 11/10/2021 21:00

The switch to working from home has impacted many marriages. Someone wiser said I agreed to marriage not 24/7.

TatianaBis · 11/10/2021 21:06

I would suggest a direct access barrister to give you an idea of likely outcome if it were to go to court. Might be the best advice you ever pay for. I have found solicitors tend to be quite vague about actual figures on divorce.

I’ve not been divorced but was advised the same in a different legal context and it was really worthwhile.

madroid · 11/10/2021 21:08

The problem is OP for your marriage to change and for you to become happier in it BOTH of you would need to work at it.

It sounds like he will not discuss it with you let alone actually do any thing that would make it better.

I'm sorry OP, but I think it's his way or the highway. I know which I'd choose (and have done!)

Your first step is to see a solicitor who can tell you what to expect when you leave. Don't waste your life being ground down by the not quite 100% twat. You deserve so much more. You deserve peace, freedom and fun.

wewereliars · 11/10/2021 21:11

A direct access barrister is a good idea. I think a solicitor in your situation is a bit of a waste of money, other than maybe to get an earlybroad outline of what to expect. In my experience, in family law, if there is a lot of conflict, the solicitor brings a barrister in for any court hearings so you end up paying twice.

RandomMess · 11/10/2021 21:36

You need to read the many threads about the poster that is (still) divorcing her sulking DH. He sounds so very similar to yours!

Swipe left for the next trending thread