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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 10:38

He got a new job where he quit in a rage and then begged for it back. They told him no..

He is a very unstable character.

I repeat - he apparently made mistakes in his work because you were causing him stress (which means you were reacting normally to his behaviour) ..... What mistakes and job losses have you had due to the stress he's caused you?

EarthSight · 25/12/2023 10:48

Lots of dangerous criminals aren't necessarily arseholes all the time. The pimps of trafficked women could dish out affection too as a reward for something. It's worth keeping in mind that Hitler was nice to his pets.

‘I meant everything to him’ - the thing is, he's done things are the total opposite to this, so you just can't trust this assertion.

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

He's far too dangerous for you to be around, and eventually he'll end up killing someone. Don't let that be you.

He wouldn’t answer the question and then he hung up on me

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

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

He knows exactly what he's doing OP - he's playing mind games with you, knowing that the anxiety of a lack of proper resolution will be really hard you. He's used to treating you like a kicked puppy.

I'd consider going to the police if I were you because you might need them.

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 10:59

I’ve lost a lot. I made a massive mistake because of his behaviour and not being allowed to think for myself.

I can’t contact the police. I did before and then I fobbed them off because he was promising to be better and was pressuring me. I’m scared they would think I’m a time waster and not take me seriously.

Truthfully I don’t know whether he could be considered dangerous. The car incidents were a year ago. The sex incidents over a year ago. In the last year he hasn’t threatened to hurt me.
I did ask him not that long ago that if the situation that caused the car incidents were to happen again, would he react in the same way. He said ‘probably, yes’. That felt like being hit with a bucket of cold water.

OP posts:
category12 · 25/12/2023 11:08

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 10:59

I’ve lost a lot. I made a massive mistake because of his behaviour and not being allowed to think for myself.

I can’t contact the police. I did before and then I fobbed them off because he was promising to be better and was pressuring me. I’m scared they would think I’m a time waster and not take me seriously.

Truthfully I don’t know whether he could be considered dangerous. The car incidents were a year ago. The sex incidents over a year ago. In the last year he hasn’t threatened to hurt me.
I did ask him not that long ago that if the situation that caused the car incidents were to happen again, would he react in the same way. He said ‘probably, yes’. That felt like being hit with a bucket of cold water.

It takes several attempts for most people to leave abusive relationships and it's common for people to withdraw from the police process. The police will have experience of that, and should not be dismissive if they're well trained in domestic abuse. (Of course that's not to say there aren't shit ones around. But they should have learned better than that).

It's their job to protect you whatever the previous interactions have been. If you feel under threat at any time, call them.

A year ago is nothing. He's told you he hasn't changed and doesn't really think he did anything wrong, when he told you he'd do the same again. He told you who he is.

category12 · 25/12/2023 11:11

And you should take his repeated threats to kill you as a real threat. It's not something that normal guys say to partners.

Something like 2 women a week die at the hands of partners/ex-partners.

burntbagel · 25/12/2023 11:18

in these relationships it’s extremely common to be blamed for everything as well (eg his job, or the way he treats you)
please don’t waste more time with him
he isn’t going to change
I know that’s really hard to accept but he isn’t if he was going to he’d have done it
and be careful he sounds erratic and gets into a rage at work even

caniputthewashingout · 25/12/2023 11:18

OP, I have been in a situation not dissimilar to yours. You have a chance to break free and have the life you deserve. Take it. Work on breaking free of him mentally. Prepare yourself to be strong enough so that when he comes crawling back - and he will - you can tell him it's over. Best of luck ❤️

BlastedPimples · 25/12/2023 11:20

You can contact the police if he starts harassing you.

This man sounds like such a creepy character. Your op gave me the chills. What a nasty pierce of work he is.

I hope you can steer clear off him. Create new habits. New routines. New life. Seriously keep him well away from you. Foul creature that he is.

ChristmasSteps295 · 25/12/2023 11:21

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 10:59

I’ve lost a lot. I made a massive mistake because of his behaviour and not being allowed to think for myself.

I can’t contact the police. I did before and then I fobbed them off because he was promising to be better and was pressuring me. I’m scared they would think I’m a time waster and not take me seriously.

Truthfully I don’t know whether he could be considered dangerous. The car incidents were a year ago. The sex incidents over a year ago. In the last year he hasn’t threatened to hurt me.
I did ask him not that long ago that if the situation that caused the car incidents were to happen again, would he react in the same way. He said ‘probably, yes’. That felt like being hit with a bucket of cold water.

He knows he will do it again. You do. We all do.

From what you've said, he's every bit as bad as you think he is. What's really scary is that he can't seem to control his behaviour at work either. It's more than likely he has a personality disorder.

It sounds like you've spent a lot of time trying to explain to him why you'd like to be treated kindly and with respect. But when you're having those conversations with someone and all they're doing is blaming, justifying, and confusing the issue, it's a lost cause. He won't ever treat you any better.

He sounds like a bit of a grimy pig anyway, but I also think there's an element of natural disgust in there from you which has been triggered by his behaviour and treatment of you. You can see an ugly personality in there and it's shining through. Please don't beat yourself up for that feeling of disgust - cling on to it and feed it. You need to start feeling horrified by him to get you through this.

He can ignore you because he's punishing you. It's a power game. It's also very likely that he's doing it for attention. He'd love to have you begging to have him back at any cost - the cost being him continuing to treat you badly. He's got you on a string right now. He'll be waiting until he's caused the most damage to your self esteem possible before he pulls back on it.

Remember that the overly nice bits and clingy behaviour is part of the abuse. That's what keeps you feeling guilty and obligated to him. If he really did care about you in the way he should, none of this would be happening.

I don't know if you have an Android phone, but I know you can stop withheld and private numbers from calling you on there. Open your calls, find the three dots, go into settings, then blocked, and then you should find a screen that will allow you to prevent calls from withheld numbers and even any numbers that aren't in your contact list so he can't just get another number.

If someone knows how to do this on iPhone, I'm sure they can explain or Google could help.

WildishBambino · 25/12/2023 11:24

I know it's very much a side issue (RUN, RUN, HE'S A MONSTER), but I suspect he's lying about being fined by the Financial Conduct Authority in an attempt to hide his income from you. If he's a graphic designer then surely he's not ultimately /legally responsible for T&Cs on an advert - that's the employer's problem.

The FCA's list of fines is actually public - see here - it's mainly against firms, and when fines are levied against individuals it's for stuff like insider trading. They don't fine the bloke from the arts department - ever.

2022 fines

This page contains information about fines published during the calendar year ending 2022. The total amount of fines so far is £215,834,156.

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/news-stories/2022-fines

Toooldtoworry · 25/12/2023 11:25

@Mydogisamentalist 7 times. 7 times is the average number of times someone attempts to leave an abuser before they actually do. The police know this. We are all pleading with you to get away, get safe and to get help.

Please do the Freedom Programme once free.

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 11:28

He sounds like a bit of a grimy pig anyway, but I also think there's an element of natural disgust in there from you which has been triggered by his behaviour and treatment of you. You can see an ugly personality in there and it's shining through.

^^ I think there’s an element of this. He does have very poor hygiene. He blames it on his working hours and needing to sleep every spare moment he’s not at work.
What I have noticed though is feeling grossed out by things I used to be attracted to. He has two different coloured eyes. I used to think they were beautifully unique and loved them. Lately I’ve been noticing how ugly they look. One eye droops more than the other. It’s all I could notice.

I have an iPhone. I know it’s ridiculous but I just can’t bring myself to fully block him yet. For my own sanity I need to know if he will ever try and contact me again.

OP posts:
Toooldtoworry · 25/12/2023 11:29

How is that going to help you? I think you need to take control of the situation.

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 11:33

@WildishBambino something comes up when I type his name in but I have no idea what it is. There’s also 92 pages to sift through and I can’t let him take up that much of my time! I wouldn’t be surprised if he embellished the story. I’m starting to wonder if much of what he said is true.

OP posts:
ChristmasSteps295 · 25/12/2023 11:41

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 11:28

He sounds like a bit of a grimy pig anyway, but I also think there's an element of natural disgust in there from you which has been triggered by his behaviour and treatment of you. You can see an ugly personality in there and it's shining through.

^^ I think there’s an element of this. He does have very poor hygiene. He blames it on his working hours and needing to sleep every spare moment he’s not at work.
What I have noticed though is feeling grossed out by things I used to be attracted to. He has two different coloured eyes. I used to think they were beautifully unique and loved them. Lately I’ve been noticing how ugly they look. One eye droops more than the other. It’s all I could notice.

I have an iPhone. I know it’s ridiculous but I just can’t bring myself to fully block him yet. For my own sanity I need to know if he will ever try and contact me again.

It's completely understandable that you're having those feelings about him. A lot of attraction is about personality. Someone can be not traditionally attractive, but you find them gorgeous because they're so lovely and you associate their looks with all the wonderful feelings you have around them. When they make you feel uncomfortable all the time, it's the opposite. All those flaws and idiosyncrasies really glare at you.

He will definitely contact you again, but I understand needing to know. Just be very careful because he could easily do something that will upset you all over again.

It sounds like he's also chronically unable to take any responsibility for his actions. Imagine blaming you because he's shit at his job! That really takes the bloody biscuit, doesn't it?

greyshelving · 25/12/2023 12:46

So the list so far:

Tried to kill you three times
Doesn't take your calls or offers any meaningful emotional support
Keeps making the same huge mistakes at work and has been sacked twice
Doesn't wash/has poor personal hygiene
Takes your money and doesn't contribute financially
Thinks all his problems are your fault
Has blocked you over Christmas

What on earth can his good qualities be that somehow outweigh all this awful, awful behaviour. C'mon on OP, you must surely think you can do better than that?

WildishBambino · 25/12/2023 13:00

You don't need to put his name into the general search engine, and sift through 92 pages.

Here is a short single page of every fine in 2022
[[https://www.fca.org.uk/news/news-stories/2021-fines is a short single page of every fine in 2021.

2023 list is out next week.

If his name isn't on the two links above he's not paying off fines levied by the FCA and is lying to you. Which he likely is, as graphic designers are not regulated by the FCA!

2022 fines

This page contains information about fines published during the calendar year ending 2022. The total amount of fines so far is £215,834,156.

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/news-stories/2022-fines

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 13:17

I’m really struggling. I’m sitting in my parents house. They don’t know what’s happened and I’m trying to act normal but it’s taking everything in me not to cry. I feel sick and damaged. I don’t know how I’m going to get through this.

OP posts:
Toooldtoworry · 25/12/2023 13:45

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 13:17

I’m really struggling. I’m sitting in my parents house. They don’t know what’s happened and I’m trying to act normal but it’s taking everything in me not to cry. I feel sick and damaged. I don’t know how I’m going to get through this.

Tell them. I know it makes it very real but they will want to support you.

God I wish I was your family. I want to give you a massive hug and simultaneously give you a talking to x

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 14:06

I don’t think he’s coming back. I know I’m stupid but I tried to call him from a with held number and it just says ‘the number you have called has not been recognised’. He must have changed his number. I asked my sister to put his number into WhatsApp and he doesn’t have a photo on there anymore whereas a few days ago he did.

I think he really has discarded me and I’ll never hear from him again and I just can’t believe it. I never saw this coming.

OP posts:
Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 14:14

The fact that he's behaving like this is just more evidence of the dysfunction of his character.

And it is highly dysfunctional.

Ladolcevita233 · 25/12/2023 14:23

It's painful for any relationship to end.

Personally I feel someone so disordered will probably pop up again.

But seriously, he's shit partner material and it beyond unlikely he'll change.

You're saying "oh he hasn't driven dangerously or threatened to kill me in a car for a year"; as if that matters.

He did that, three times - that's what matters.

Even if he said he wouldnt do it again, I wouldn't believe him ... But he even said he'd probably do the same thing when you asked him.
He was 31/32 when he did it, not 18. If he can do it at 31/32, why would he not do it at 33. Its who he is.

He's unhinged. He can't even speak to his clients appropriately/non rudely, without using course words.

It looks like he might have been lying about his fines/financial circumstances too.

You seem to be fixating on the fact that he's discarded you ..... He's a highly disordered individual; that's why he's acted crazily and why he's discarded you.

Why do you care if a highly disordered individual values you or wants you .... He's not right in the head

He's a divorce with shit finances who can't hold down a job, can't speak appropriately to people, is a dangerous driver, is abusive .. .. thats his character, thats why he's fucking off right now as well (though I think he'll probably pop up again).He's also grimy and smelly and unhygienic and a shambles.

His opinion, what he values or not; is worry sweet fuck all.
He can't even function as an adult in basic ways.

Do you think he's a gambler or something? How is he so broke, holes in his shoes. As I said you could buy a pair on eBay or in a charity shop for a fiver.

category12 · 25/12/2023 14:43

Mydogisamentalist · 25/12/2023 14:06

I don’t think he’s coming back. I know I’m stupid but I tried to call him from a with held number and it just says ‘the number you have called has not been recognised’. He must have changed his number. I asked my sister to put his number into WhatsApp and he doesn’t have a photo on there anymore whereas a few days ago he did.

I think he really has discarded me and I’ll never hear from him again and I just can’t believe it. I never saw this coming.

Edited

That's a good thing.

Calling him is self-harm, op.

greenbeansnspinach · 25/12/2023 14:50

The blocking and silence now is his way of turning the screw, as he realises you’re starting to pull away.
He’s set the scene, and deliberately destroyed your confidence and done his best to isolate you and increase your dependence on him.
From what you’ve said, he’s a very dangerous man who will become more dangerous if he believes you’re trying to end the relationship.
Confide in people you know in real life, contact Women’s Aid or a local domestic violence group, and put your own happiness, safety and peace of mind at tve front of everything you do.
If he has keys to your place change the locks.
And ideally, make a statement to police about ALL his behaviour including what you’ve hinted at here.

No one who genuinely cared for and loved you would behave like this and deliberately make you so unhappy.

SeamsLegit · 25/12/2023 16:07

You will NEVER be as lucky again... A Christmas miracle has freed you from his dirty, sticky clutches. He is foul. Tell your parents. Be honest with EVERYONE about how he is. Let their DISGUST distance you from that scumbag. I could throw up