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Advice needed - Relationship Breakdown

Lady45
Community Member

I was due to get married in 2 weeks time. 4 weeks ago, my fiancé moved out.
He used to be the most loving and caring guy i had ever met.

He has a daughter (4) and a son (12). I also have a son who is 7.

My partner’s ex hates my partner. She withheld care of his kids, alleged he assaulted her and alleged he sexually assaulted his daughter. I have supported my partner throughout this whole ordeal, preparing for and attending court as he fought to gain care of his kids. I thought if we could get through that we could get through anything.The allegations were thrown out of court.

I also supported him financially as he was always saying he had no money due to legal costs. After regaining some care of his kids he moved in with me. I rearranged my home to feel like home for his kids and treated his children as if they were my own. My son became very close to his stepbrother and sister.

After the property settlement he bought a $53,000 car. That’s when I asked him to start contributing to the bills.

We started planning our wedding.That’s when things started to change. My partner became disinterested in organising the wedding. All he did was organise the photographer. I organised everything else. He became quite argumentative and highly critical. Before Xmas, I suggested that we take the kids away for a weekend. He said he couldn’t afford it. Days later he bought himself a $400 watch. I paid for the weekend.

He withdrew emotionally and I became frustrated. I kept asking if he still wanted to get married? The answer was yes but his actions said otherwise. I threw my engagement ring at him. He moved out. As he was gathering his things I told him in anger to “get out of my house”. He moved back in 5 days later and we tried to make it work. When he told me the wedding was not the wedding he wanted, I cancelled the wedding. I couldn’t go ahead with it after he told me how he felt about it. We continued to argue. He said I'd withdrawn emotionally. I hadn't.

4 weeks ago he moved out to his parent’s home and told me he needed ‘security’ because he didn’t feel like our home was his house.He felt like I could throw him out at any time, despite living together for 18 months. 3 day after moving out he put an offer on a house. I told him this was a deal breaker. He bought it! Thinking we could resolve our issues living under 2 rooves. I was not considered or involved in this decision.

I’m heartbroken.It’s so hard knowing that we would have been married in 2 weeks time...

25 Replies 25

Croix
Community Champion
Community Champion

Dear Lady45~

I'm very sorry this has happened to you. If you look around the Forum you will see others sadly have been in the same boat.

We tend to judge others by our own standards, if one is honest it may not occur that someone else might not be. The same holds true of being a caring person, it is hard to envisage others high simply be cold and self-centered.

Unfortunately you have been taken advantage of by such a person. You said his ex hated him, perhaps there was some justification, who knows. What you do know is he was happy to spend money on himself and ride on your efforts for all else.

He seems to make up tales to suite the moment. I doubt the type of wedding had anything to do wiht his reluctance, and blaming you for withdrawing is simple nonsense designed to put blame on you.

Being an attractive and loving person at the start and then becoming self centered and controlling does seem to fit a pattern.

I'm afraid you are not the only one that is suffering from this person's actions, your son being close to his kids is hard. I can't really see any way that can end happily.

No doubt you have a mix of emotions - anyone would. Not only grief and loss, but also self-doubt and anger.

It is a terrible time for you -and your son to I would imagine. Do you have family or friends to support you now? Trying to cope all on your own is almost impossible. I think in your position I'd see my GP with a view to getting counseling recommended.

Please let us know how you go

Croix

geoff
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hi Lady, thanks for being here.

I don't have much to add to what Croix has said, but everything might have got worse once you were married.

Some people who want to get as much out of a relationship or when you are just been married, change for the worse and then make the situation completely different.

There are times when we don't know why this is happening, unfortunately, and will not be able to understand how to stop letting them take advantage of you, but common sense will prevail.

If you are a person who always tries to help people but realise what are you getting in return and this maybe the situation you are in, and what he wants doesn't include you and your son.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

Lady45
Community Member

Thankyou Croix and Geoff for your responses.

I've been to see my psychologist twice who has said that it could be possible to resolve the issues under 2 rooves however the impulsive nature of my now ex-partner and him buying a house so quickly she said was a red flag.

My ex partner is also a very insecure person. Always needing me to validate my feelings towards him. He now tells me that what I've said is "all words" yet it appears that my actions in supporting him and showing him how much I love him and his kids count for nothing which is both sad and very disappointing.

I gave all i could. My son has shown such resilience throughout all of this. My ex's baggage from his previous relationship has impacted myself and my son. My son was present when my ex was arrested for the alledged assault. He asked why my ex was going to "jail".

It has been a difficult situation for quite a while. My ex's children have behavioural issues because they are so damaged by what is going on between their parents. I've had to deal with all of this too but i took it all on out of love for my partner.

It's a big mess. I'm totally lost plus there are financial impacts for me now as i left my old job 6 months ago as it was high pressure and started a new job that is less pressure but also considerable less pay. I did this thinking we would have 2 incomes coming into the household so now my financial 'security' is not what it used to be...

Lady45
Community Member
Geoff I'm new to posting on forums and have replied to both you and Croix via Croix's original post. Thankyou for your response.

geoff
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hi Lady, thanks for getting back to us and yes I've read your other replies.

I'm sorry for this outcome, situations like this are never easy to cope with, especially when you have a son (7) who maybe finding it difficult to understand what's happening.

You are entitled to 10 free medicare paid sessions with a psychologist if you ask your doctor about the 'mental health plan.'

Your son could also speak to someone at ReachOut, Headspace an/or kids helpline, these are how to contact them:

-https://headspace.org.au/about-us/contact-us

-Kids helpline on 1800 55 1800

-https://au.reachout.com/urgent-help

-beyound blue 1300 22 4636

-https://about.au.reachout.com/contact

- 1800respect.org.au

Hope this help both you and your son.

Geoff.

Croix
Community Champion
Community Champion

Dear Lady45~

I'm sorry to be blunt. I think your psychologist's view that your ex buying a house was just an impulsive nature really misses the long term point. Firstly you are not some he regards as being in his life - or he would have consulted with you - and secondly there is no way to trust someone who goes off and does thngs like that.

From hte nature of his purchase it would appear they are all for his benefit, true impulsivity combined wiht sincere love would have prompted him to be extravagant in you favor too. It sounds, from what you say like being selfish, and and advantage of you. Perhaps that is harsh -what do you think?

You, and your son, need to have a partner who gives you feelings of security and love, not uncertainty and deep troubles.

His anxiety sounds like a bottomless pit - or an excuse. If it is a need for constant reassurance them medical support is needed - and it must to be wanted by him.

Talking of support, do you have family or friends ot support you? It is an emotional and financially difficult time, with all sorts of feelings from anger and loss to self-doubt and worry. Trying to face it all alone is hard.

There is only so much one can do when faced with this situation, and while it is only natural to wonder if there could have been more you could have done there are limits, and it sounds very much as if you have already done all you can.

Perhaps this is for the best, you deserve better.

Croix

Lady45
Community Member

Hi Croix,

I agree with you and I don't think you are being harsh. It's nice to know that someone who doesn't know me or my ex can see my situation for what it is.

My ex would probably disagree with you. He thinks I'm telling my friends only my side of the story. The truth is I'm telling my friends what exactly happened. I've got no reason to lie or withhold information and this is because if i have made mistakes i want to know about them so i can learn from them and be a better person.

I have a good support network of friends who i regard as my family.

I am on a mental health plan through my GP. I saw my psych again yesterday and we pinpointed where things started to go wrong....when my ex's property settlement was finalised the frequency of going to court stopped and therefore i was no longer needed (required?) to support my ex with court preparations, etc.

The dynamic changed and i needed the support of my ex to help me with the planning of our wedding. Perhaps supporting my ex with his battles was the glue that kept us together? And then when i needed support the roles were unable to be reversed.

This week has been hard. I cry every day but never in front of my son. I need to stay positive and focused for his sake.

Thanks once again Croix and Geoff for your support.

Juliet_84
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Hi Lady45,

I see a lot of red flags in your ex’s behavior, which Croix has articulated very succinctly. He seems very “me” focused, with everything seeming to be about what people can do for him. Buying lavish gifts for himself one minute and then shamelessly claiming poverty the next when you want to do things together is extremely selfish and hurtful behavior. It shows to me that he doesn’t value time with you, is not invested in the relationship, and only is in it for what he can get. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to build a future with that type of man. Same with requiring you to constantly meet his emotional needs, while he seems to completely disregard yours.

Some people are just a bottomless pit of wants and needs, sucking the life force out of other people. If it’s any consolation, these types always seem to choose the kind, insightful people who are willing to turn inward and ask how they can make the relationship better. But the truth is, you can never keep people like that happy and you will exhaust yourself trying to. I think if you separate all of things you wished the relationship would be, and actually looked at what the relationship was, you would realize that it did not meet many of the things that you want in a relationship. I’m not saying that it was all bad, but I always find letting go of “what could have been (but wasn’t)” the hardest part. Xxx

Croix
Community Champion
Community Champion

Dear Lady45~

I regret this has happened to you, and from what you say I do not think there is any relationship there to try to salvage -I'm sorry.

There are two things you said I'd like to comment on, the first being you might find though recounting what happened to your friends ways to improve yourself, make less mistakes and learn.

I'd say that you do need to learn one thing from this, and what you need to learn is very hard to explain. Before I try I will say there are loving, supportive and steadfast people in the world. I've been blessed to have had 2 as partners.

Naturally your trust in relationships will have been badly damaged. There may however come a time when you do contemplate another. If that happens the trap is going for the same sort of person again, and this is the hard thing to explain.

It wold be easy to find the things in the new person that were easy to relate to, easy to deal with, and you felt comfortable for the same reasons as you did before. It's familiar in some ways. Being "the most loving and caring person you ever met" was pretense and the hard bit for you will be deciding if it is a front with the next person too. So beware of the too easy.

I've no magic answer, perhaps the person's history might help. A battle wiht an ex, rather than an amicable separation might be one indicator, I'm sure here would be others.

I had it easy that way, because my first partner was so lovely I did look for the same again. You have the opposite.

The other thing is being brave in front of your 7 year old. If he is like my grandson he will in any case have picked up your distress. I have the feeling that for children it is important not to feel totally powerless, that way leads to self-blame. Handing a box of tissues and giving a cuddle to mummy when she is upset can be made into something he is doing to help you, a little bit of control of life.

Does this sort of make sense?

Croix

Croix