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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

Relationship break up, really heartbroken *trigger warning: abuse*

190 replies

Mydogisamentalist · 24/12/2023 22:43

Hi, I feel really stupid writing a thread like this on Christmas Eve but I’m heartbroken and I think a little bit traumatised. I know I’ve posted about this relationship before on here and I was told to run. I should have.

Me and my boyfriend of a year and a half broke up a couple of days ago, well that’s all I can assume as it was never really clarified. I’m not handling it very well. I know I should be jumping for joy. Wtf is wrong with me!?

He could be physically abusive towards the beginning and was very emotionally abusive throughout.
I’ve never told anyone this but he threatened to kill me three times. He was driving and we were arguing about something really difficult for me. He started driving at 90-100 miles an hour, once screaming he was going to plough into the truck in front. The parking sensors were going crazy, I was terrified. Another time he did the same but into a roundabout. The third was off the side of a very high hill. That was the worst and I grabbed my phone to try and call the police. He lunged at me, pushing me into the car door and pulled it out of my hand, bending my wrist backwards in the process and really hurting me. He was holding my phone out the window, telling me he’d throw it if I didn’t ‘behave’ and I could have it back ‘when I’d calmed down’.

Everything in our relationship was on his terms. He’d disagree with that but it was. I tried so hard to care about him while also standing up for myself. He was skint and so I paid for pretty much everything. He had no money and his only shoes had holes in them so I bought him some lovely ones for Christmas. I knew he couldn’t afford to buy me anything back but I wanted him to not be uncomfortable. That’s hurting the most right now. He has those shoes that I bought with love and he clearly never cared about me if he could do what he’s done.

Which leads me to the break up. A massive bug bare for me was phone calls. He never ever answered the phone. Basically I had to wait for him to call me and if for some reason I was busy he’d never pick up if I called back. Yet he could ring constantly. There were times he’d call over and over again until I answered. Family noticed it, friends noticed it. It was like an unspoken one rule for him but another for me.
Three days ago I really wanted to talk to him. It had been a shitty morning and I just wanted some kindness (just to add, this was rare! I didn’t call all the time. I never really called him at all because it was pointless). He answered after a few tries and was a bit short and asked if he could call me back in an hour. I agreed. Two hours pass and nothing. Normally I’d just wait indefinitely but something about that day made me snap. I’d had enough of him being able to call how much and when he pleased and me living on tenterhooks over it. So I called him a few times. He texts to say he’s still busy and to stop ‘harassing’ him, he’ll call me ‘asap’. Six more hours pass and still nothing. I did send a somewhat grumpy message and then discover he’d blocked me. He’s never done this before.

I called him yesterday from a withheld number. I probably shouldn’t have but I was hurt and confused. Two weeks ago I was on the verge of breaking up with him and he didn’t want it to end. We had a conversation where he was in tears. He said that even if we did break up he’d want to be my best friend. I wouldn’t be able to stop him from calling every day and he’d still want to meet up. That he never wanted to not be a part of my life because he loved me and he’d be devastated to lose me. He’s always been quite affectionate in telling me ‘I meant everything to him’ and so on. I guess having a total 360 done to you makes you want answers.
Anyway, I mentioned this to him and he immediately said ‘I do want to be friends’. I also asked what was going on and if we were broken up (I know, I’m pathetic) and he said ‘is that what you want?’ He wouldn’t answer the question and then he hung up on me.

I’m still blocked everywhere. I haven’t tried to contact him today. He phoned me though off a with held number around noon. I answered it and he said nothing. It was weird, he waited ten seconds before hanging up.

I know this is the last thing I should be thinking about but all I want to know is if I’ll ever hear from him again. He was often awful. He could also be amazingly kind and loving. I miss him while being aware that In a few weeks I’ll probably be glad this happened… yet right now all I want is to know if he’s gone for good. He’s ruining Christmas. I can’t feel happy and I can’t think of anything else. I’m just going through the motions 😞

OP posts:
Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 09:36

his only shoes had holes in them

I can walk into most charity shops a d find a pair of shoes without holes in them for a few pounds, a fiver

Why is he unable to do that?

It's like he wants to play the victim/or is totally incapable of basic , minimal ooking after himself.

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 09:39

It’s the routine of him if that makes sense..

That's completely normal when you e spent time with someone, gotten used to talking to them about what's going on in your life, even mundane stuff, gotten used to regular contact, been intimate with them etc.

The only solution is time.

And trying to fill your life with other things and not letting yourself think in circles/compulsively.

Toooldtoworry · 25/12/2023 09:40

@Mydogisamentalist if you can't stand the silence text him and tell him you're done and he's not to contact you ever again. If there are some items of his at yours tell him they'll be outside yours in bin liners tomorrow at x time. Make sure you are out at least 30 minutes before he is due to collect and not back for at least an hour after. If he hasn't collected bin them.

My friend was in a relationship like that. We couldn't get her out. He killed her this year. Please, I am pleading you, do NOT get suckered into taking him back.

Toooldtoworry · 25/12/2023 09:41

@Mydogisamentalist also do not answer withheld/unknown numbers. If its urgent the person will leave a message. If you hear his voice, delete.

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 09:48

My gut is telling me this isn’t over yet and while I really really really want to be wonderfully strong and never give him the satisfaction of a reply or conversation again… in reality I’m not sure what I’ll do.

He's a filthy, bad breathed, shambolic, abusive, unstable, hypocritical, sexually coercive, financially incontinent "man" who can't adult.

Why do you not think you deserve better?

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 09:49

Better - being single or in a decent relationship.

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 09:53

You do realise that this guy is a low quality mess (and capable of being very abusive and potentially dangerous to boot) who sensible women wouldnt entertain; they would just be "fuck no, not going there". Why do you think he's good enough for you??

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 09:55

So, you could talk to him about stuff and he sometimes seemed happy to see you (except when he decided he didn't want contact, though you weren't allowed to not contact him back immediately)...... Anyone is a relationship is like that. You're happy to see each other and you talk about your stuff, that's just basic.

It's hugely unbalanced by all the other stuff.

mumda · 25/12/2023 09:55

@Mydogisamentalist please read through what you've written.
It is horrific reading.

You need help and support to ensure this monster isn't in your life any more.

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 09:58

Why is he losing his job if he worked so much?

My fault apparently. Outing but I don’t give a shit anymore. He’s a graphics designer working predominantly for insurance adverts. Or he was except I apparently kept stressing him out. Which made him make mistakes. He didn’t put some terms and conditions on an insurance advert and got fined by the FCA. Then he made the same mistake again and got fired. He got another job in the same sector but for vastly reduced pay. He was also paying back two FCA fines and other debt that was eating the entirety of his pay check. His work isn’t up to scratch and I suspect he’s also difficult to be around so he’s getting fired. I’ve been on the phone with him before while he’s been at work. Somebody can ask him to do something and he will tell them to ‘fuck off and give him a minute’.

Why does he have no friends?
(I can guess from how he treats his gf).

Because he puts himself and his interests first and people get sick of it.

Why did he end up divorced after a 12 yr marriage?

He blames his ex wife for the break down of his marriage. He can’t seem to see the part he played in it at all. She actually complained and got angry about the same things I have. I remember when they were divorcing she was trying to contact him and he showed me messages she’d sent to try and prove she was ‘crazy’. She was angry because she was trying to contact him about the divorce and he wasn’t answering or replying to texts. She sent quite an angry one about how ‘he calls and it’s constant until she answers. She’s not allowed space or to be busy if he needs anything. Yet she needs him and silence’. Even then I related to that message.

Ive never met her or spoken to her but I suspect she felt very isolated. He worked away a lot when they were together. Weeks or months and he’d come back for a few days and go again. She had no job at the time although now outside the relationship she’s very successful. Her family lived elsewhere and he claimed she had no friends. I don’t want to say too much more about her but he told me that she used one phrase to describe him a lot and he hated it… ‘you don’t want a partner, you want a bird you can lock in a cage’. That’s exactly how I feel.

OP posts:
CatOnTheLap · 25/12/2023 10:00

He has no friends, very little family, is about to lose his job and he has no permanent address.

none of this is your problem. Do not feel sorry for him, it’s likely all of his own making.

Think of those shoes as money you spent on getting free. That’s a good investment.

Change your locks ASAP. Don’t answer any calls from withheld numbers.

LemonJeIIy · 25/12/2023 10:09

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 09:24

Also this may make me sound like a complete bitch but I’m going to say it anyway. I’m trying to remember the bad and the things I turned a blind eye too.

His self care and personal hygiene was awful. Horrifically awful. I think he brushed his teeth twice a week at most. Sometimes he’d kiss me and the taste would be rancid. He didn’t wash his clothes very often either and sometimes wore the same outfit for days at a time. He washed his hair once a week at the very most. He wore a hat to cover up the grease and to hide the rather large bald patch and thinning top. He looked ten years older than his actual age. He was shorter than me which didn’t bother me in the slightest but it bothered him! Like it was supposed to be my fault and I could change it for him. I’ll just saw my ankles off then!

Please do not let him back in your life
He brings nothing to the table
New Year New You
Etc etc and all the other clichés

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 10:10

My fault apparently. Outing but I don’t give a shit anymore. He’s a graphics designer working predominantly for insurance adverts. Or he was except I apparently kept stressing him out. Which made him make mistakes

Riiiiiight.

Of course it's your fault.

Have you also lost your job? Cause I'd be pretty stressed out by someone driving extremely dangerously three times, threatening to injure/kill me in a vehicle that I had no control over, removing and threatening to destroy my only means of calling help, almost injuring my wrist when I tried to hold onto my only means of calling help, calling me incessantly if I don't answer immediately (but that rule doesn't apply vice versa), pursuing - against all my repeatedly expressed wishes - a sexual encounter with a third person etc etc.

What mistakes have you made that caused you to lose your job due to all the stress he's inflicted on you??!!

He fucked up the ads because he's sloppy.

Hrs careless and sloppy and has low standards.

That's why he's stinking and wears the same clothes for days, and barely brushes his teeth, and wears shoes with holes.

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 10:13

Somebody can ask him to do something and he will tell them to ‘fuck off and give him a minute

And this also has no bearing on him losing his job/not retaining work?

He lost it because of you?

Not him being unprofessional, rude, aggressive, incapable of dealing with any pressure, and using inappropriate language in a work setting.

Dery · 25/12/2023 10:14

@Mydogisamentalist - please, please, please - before you date anyone ever again - please get some serious therapy. I’ve done work with people experiencing domestic abuse and read countless MN posts from people in abusive relationships Rarely have I been so scared for a poster as I am for you.

I can only imagine you got some very unhelpful messages growing up about what a healthy relationship looks like, what you’re worth and how a decent partner treats you.

As you say yourself, there were serious red flags from the outset but you chose to ignore them. In fact, there is so much that’s appalling here - and it started up more or less immediately - so you really need to understand why you stuck around.

THIS MAN WILL DESTROY YOU IF YOU LET HIM BACK INTO YOUR LIFE.

dooneyousmugelf · 25/12/2023 10:15

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 08:48

The not knowing is killing me the most, like living on egg shells. I don’t know if I’m ever going to hear from him again. I don’t know if this is some extended form of punishment or whether this is ‘I’m done, I’m never contacting you again’.

He’s never done this before. He’s blocked me once in the past but it was for an hour at most. Yet when I managed to get through to him a few days beck he told me he wanted to be friends and he wouldn’t answer whether the relationship is over.

I know how stupid it sounds but it’s Christmas Day. He has the gift that I bought because I cared. How can he look at that, know this will be hurting me and not care. All he has done since we agreed to start again is tell me how much he loved me and try and fix most issues (within reason). Even the day this happened he told me he loved me. Now this.

Because he's enjoying this. It makes him happy to make you feel this way. Isn't that disgusting? Like everything else about him.

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 10:16

Totally aside from everything else - and there is a lot - you really don't want to get back with this guy because he will live off you, he will
not contribute, he'll be a leech ..... He can't hold down a job. He's sloppy and unprofessional and will keep losing work and getting fines.

How old is this guy? How old are you?

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 10:18

She sent quite an angry one about how ‘he calls and it’s constant until she answers. She’s not allowed space or to be busy if he needs anything. Yet she needs him and silence’. Even then I related to that message.

Why would you need any more vindication that his marriage broke down for many of the same reasons that he's wrecked your relationship.

That's who he is.

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 10:20

I’m 31, he is 33.

Thank you all for listening. I know I’m posting a lot but it’s actually really helping. I feel like I’ve existed in this bubble for so long. There’s always been this nagging feeling that it’s all very wrong but then I’d talk to him and that was normality for me so I’d push it aside. I knew it was an illusion though. I’d never dream of telling family and friends about his real behaviour because they’d be horrified. I think that’s really telling.

OP posts:
Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 10:21

He didn’t put some terms and conditions on an insurance advert and got fined by the FCA. Then he made the same mistake again and got fired. He got another job in the same sector but for vastly reduced pay. He was also paying back two FCA fines and other debt

He repeated the same serious mistake/omission in work twice?

Or more than twice?

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 10:23

If you don't have kids already, I'm presuming you may want them?

What do you think life would be like for you and any kids with this "man"?

He can't function as an adult.

He can't hold down a decent job.

He's got debt. From work related fines, but you mention other debt.

He presumably has no kids and was in a cohabiting situation with shared costs for 12 years so what's his other debt from.

He's abusive.

He has displayed tendencies to violence.

He's unreasonable and hypocritical.

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 10:28

It was twice I believe. He’s had three jobs in the time I’ve known him. He didn’t put some important information in the adverts terms. He blamed me… saying it was stress I was causing him and he got fined and I think he actually lost that job because of it.
He got a new job where he quit in a rage and then begged for it back. They told him no.
Got the job he’s currently at out of desperation. The pay is bad and the hours are awful. He made another mistake that the FCA got involved in. Massive fine. They recommended he was fired but he managed to narrowly avoid it. Or so he thought but he’s now being let go. My fault again for being stressful.

OP posts:
Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 10:32

But it was always ok because he had this way of ‘forgiving’ you for things being my fault. Almost so you’d feel grateful to him.

OP posts:
wednamenov · 25/12/2023 10:37

Secretly I’m worried. My gut is telling me this isn’t over yet

I agree. I really think he might try kill you. I think he's messing with you now as a prelude to something horrible. I hope you listen to your gut because deep down you may know this too. Don't answer any withheld calls. Go speak to the police NOW telling them what's happening exactly as you've told us. This is your Christmas gift to yourself. Make a move to connect with Women's Aid. I don't think you're safe. This is the best Christmas ever because it's the first day of your free life. It can only get much better from here. But you need to protect yourself. He is dangerous.

greyshelving · 25/12/2023 10:37

OP, I don't think you miss him, I think you miss the idea of him and that's very, very different.

When we're trapped in an abusive or unhappy relationship it's like a bit of weird brain wiring keeps replaying all the happy times and then makes us think that things will get better if I'm just good enough, quiet enough or if he just miraculously gets better.

But the truth is (the real truth!), any man who has tried to kill you three times is a very, very dangerous one. You might think 'he wasn't trying to kill me, he just lost his cool' but he actually lost control, he wanted to frighten you and you are extremely fortunate you didn't end up smashed to pieces by the side of the road (and maybe killed some other innocent people too).

Don't let your brain or this terrible man trick you into minimising just how serious and potentially fatal this could have been. And that's before we even get started on the way he ignores you, screams at you, takes money off you. And right now he's playing another game by blocking you because he will be back, of course he'll be back. After he's tortured you a bit longer and you'll be so relieved at seeing his name pop up on your phone, you'll willingly start the whole thing all over again.

I only know this because I did it for three years with a man who constantly cheated but somehow convinced me it was my fault. I believed him. But I'm free now and the lovely life I have now would never have happened if I'd stayed in that abject misery.

The absolute best thing you can do is get some counselling to figure out why you want to go back to this. I hope you can find the strength to free yourself from this horrific prison and potential death trap.

Go cold Turkey (excuse the pun on Christmas Day!) and put this incredibly dangerous man in your past. It will be hard (like giving up an addiction) but there is a better life on the other side.

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