Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

Am I in the wrong here?

50 replies

Yoyo007 · 12/11/2021 15:50

My partner has very clear trust issues. I don't know why. We have always been incredibly open with each other, too open. Perhaps to our detriment as I'm not sure if this is where the trust issues stem from . We have spoken about exes at length, people we have slept with etc etc. I love a drink, he loves a drink. He always instigates our drinks btw. It is always at his suggestion, I am always a willing participant. However the conversation always leads to us oversharing and sometimes we will fall out over it. I also know he has suspicions over an ex cheating on him which could be cause for the trust issues.

He has a DC that he spends every second weekend with. I do not always go, his daughter lives a long way away and he has her at his parents house who live in the same city. So we tend to have one weekend or sometimes two weekends a month apart. I don't have any children.

Now I am a very social person. I always have been a social butterfly, often referred to as the 'life of the party'. Whilst I have completely tapered back my lifestyle a lot, I still am prone to the odd night out with friends over a few wines. I am finding it lately that my DP is more than happy for me to be this person when it is with him, however when he is not around I find he interrogates me about every detail, gets mad if I have a drink, finds some reason to cause a HUGE fight even if nothing bad happens. I realise this is quite controlling. I am so so aware of it and I never have dealt with something like this from previous partners. I try to reason with him and understand his rationale and support him through this. Sometimes I even find myself telling little white lies about my weekends without him to avoid an argument. Which always comes out upon the interrogation and I am then called a liar. Honestly I find the whole situation hard to navigate.

Now to my 'Am I in the wrong?' (sorry I wanted to give the full picture). I went for dinner a few weeks ago with my friend. He knows this friend loves a wine and I'm sure before I went out he was in a foul stinking mood about it assuming what would happen (we spoke on the phone and I repeatedly asked if he was okay?). We had a lovely meal and shared a bottle of wine. We then went onto a bar after (all the while I am texting him constantly 'I love you's' 'I miss you's' trying to make him feel included to diffuse any argument). He told me he was going to sleep. We said good night. The bar my friend and I are in closes and we move onto another bar for a night cap. We walk to the station together after that and I immediately realise I do not have my phone. My friend happens to have me on 'find my friends' and we can see my phone is at the first bar, which is now shut. My immediate reaction is 'DP is going to kill me'. I consider texting him to let him know from my friends phone, however thought twice as I know he already has an opinion of her, don't want him to be worried, don't want him to stress etc. He is asleep anyway.

So the next morning at 6am I woke up quite early and logged into instagram and message him to let him know what has happened. He has gone ballistic about it. Accuses me of getting completely smashed. He has been trying to contact me all night. Why would I not text him at he moment I realised? Why would I leave him having a sleepless night? He 'doesn't want to be with someone who goes out when he isn't there'. He basically has tried to end our relationship and said we will never work. Basically is appalled I am not sorry for making a choice at 11pm that night not to text him about my phone (when he is meant to be sleeping and we would not have text anyway!!!!). I've asked him if he expects me to sit in on my own these weekends he is away. I very very rarely go out and have drinks anymore. Most of my friends have children and we would do something more child friendly.

Meanwhile, I get my phone back all good first thing the next morning. I knew exactly where it was. But I have been reminded of this incident CONSTANTLY since that weekend. And 'how drunk I got'. And 'I'm out of control'. The bloke would have no idea what I drank but it doesn't matter to him.

Am I honestly doing something wrong here? I really think it would be a different story if DP didn't like a drink himself but he only thinks it's okay for me to do it when he is around?! He says he 'can't get over his issues' and 'doesn't want to be with someone who goes out'. I hardly go out clubbing I'm mid bloody 30's!!!! I already feel like a shell of myself to keep this bloke happy and I hate that!

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 12/11/2021 15:54

Why, why, why are you putting up with this abusive, controlling, and absolutely mental bullshit? Are your standards really so low? Tell this man to fuck off to the far side and then move on with your life. Hopefully, you will spend some time thinking about why you tolerated this shit, even for a second.

vikalpa · 12/11/2021 15:57

Nights out with friends as you've described are perfectly normal in my world and having had a controlling partner in the past who hated me going out, I wouldn't be able to live like that again.

You know in your heart that what he's doing / saying isn't right, nobody should be living like a shell of themselves to keep someone else happy.

TeaStory · 12/11/2021 15:59

Holy fucking shit this man is scarily controlling and will only get worse.

RUN

Breakingmad · 12/11/2021 15:59

He is abusing you. It creeps up on you without you realising, until you end up walking on egg shells around him.

Run like the wind.

Yoyo007 · 12/11/2021 15:59

Thank you so much already for the responses and validating that I am not this wayward party girl he tries to make me out to be. I am sick to death of it.

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 12/11/2021 16:00

@Yoyo007

Thank you so much already for the responses and validating that I am not this wayward party girl he tries to make me out to be. I am sick to death of it.
Then you are dumping him immediately, correct?
JollyJoon · 12/11/2021 16:02

You sound lovely and he sounds like a horrible.man. Please get away from him before he destroys your confidence and self worth.

AtrociousCircumstance · 12/11/2021 16:03

End it. He’s awful. Just fucking awful.

AryaStarkWolf · 12/11/2021 16:05

You should have let him end the relationship when he "tried" This isn't going to get any better and you're going to end up cutting yourself of from your friends to avoid arguments. This is not a healthy relationship

AryaStarkWolf · 12/11/2021 16:07

Oh and no you are not in the wrong here, he is...massively

Monalotmoore · 12/11/2021 16:08

You're having to second think and alter what you say for fear of starting him off? And he told you he doesn't want to be with someone who goes out when he's not there? Well that you no longer compatible surely, because he IS with someone who goes out when he's not there and bloody right too. You're not his prisoner. Massive red flags. Please end this before it gets even more controlling.

Babyghirl · 12/11/2021 16:11

@Yoyo007
RUN, RUN, RUN he is a controller and he will eat away at you until you only have him.

He said he can't change the way he is but tell him you will change it for him pack him in the next dump run and don't look back. You should not be living to please a man no wonder he has an ex with a child I'm sure she got sick of his controlling ways to.

Yoyo007 · 12/11/2021 16:15

Thank you all so much for your responses. It has got to a point where he is away this weekend and I have asked that we have a discussion tomorrow night when DD is asleep to see if we can even navigate this moving forward. My insinuation that he is being incredibly controlling and making me on egg shells has already been met with 'Well I can't be with you then' and being hung up on a few times. He simply cannot even LISTEN to the 'c' word. I know what my message is going to be to him tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something... x

OP posts:
JollyJoon · 12/11/2021 16:17

He hung up on you? How fucking dare he? Just text him "don't bother with the call.tomorrow, its over. Have a good weekend"

girlmom21 · 12/11/2021 16:22

He's absolutely batshit.

Yoyo007 · 12/11/2021 16:27

I want to do the crying laughing emoji. I love you guys!

OP posts:
Bluetrews25 · 12/11/2021 16:28

You would be forgiven (by us) for binning him off over text.
He doesn't seem to have many redeeming features, sadly.

FrogFairy · 12/11/2021 16:30

Well fuck that shit.

I would bet that if/when you dump him you will feel like a weight has lifted off you. Be free to live your life and behave as you wish.

Bonheurdupasse · 12/11/2021 16:30

He is abusing you.
He’ll try to convince you he’s not.

It’ll get worse if you stay with him.

pog100 · 12/11/2021 16:35

Good fuck sake, why are you even remotely considering negotiating a way forward. It is clear you already see this for what it is, very abusively controlling. Why? Why do you want to move forward with him. Is there something in your past that makes you think this might be acceptable?
Anyway please dump him immediately!

Yoyo007 · 12/11/2021 16:39

@pog100 Yeah I know I sound silly. I guess outside of this it is the most open and honest and happy and loving relationship I have been in. And I am by no means defending my staying with him (which I do not intend to). But I kinda clung to that a bit as silly as it sounds. Without all this we are the best of pals, so attracted to each other, so in love. But the other stuff is just so abnormal and a constant source of contention.

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 12/11/2021 16:45

There's no point having an open and honest relationship if he uses it to bully and manipulate you.

Shoxfordian · 12/11/2021 16:49

If this is the best then you’ve had some really shit relationships before

Don’t stay with this man though

Monalotmoore · 12/11/2021 16:52

What would you be advising your dearest friend if she had told you what you were posting today? That's your answer. There's no happy ever after for you in this x

MadMadMadamMim · 12/11/2021 16:56

Jesus. He wouldn't have got the chance to hang up on me a few times.

The first time would have been enough for me to text Fuck off, then. We're done.

Please let us know you've dumped him. He's an utter tosser. By the way, this bit (all the while I am texting him constantly 'I love you's' 'I miss you's' trying to make him feel included to diffuse any argument). would have really pissed me off as your friend. It's damn rude when you are out with mates to keep texting someone else constantly.

Don't ever be with anyone who expects this level of attention when you aren't with them.