My husband has become so full of himself that he thinks he can lay down the lawhis law.
My husband, Jeremy, has recently decided hes the centre of the universe and believes he can dictate terms to me. And not just any termsconditions that make my blood run cold. Hes threatened to divorce me if I dont stop seeing my daughter, Poppy, from my first marriage. Seriously? Shes my child, my flesh and blood, my life. And he thinks he can bully her out of my heart? I still cant believe the man Ive spent years with could sink so low.
It all started a few months ago. Jeremys always had a strong personality, but I saw it as a strength rather than a flaw. Hes confident, determined, used to getting his way. When we married, I thought Id found a solid partner whod support me and accept my family. Poppy was still little, just five at the time. She took to him straight away, calling him “Daddy Jeremy.” I was over the moon seeing them so close. But as time passed, something shifted.
He started distancing himself from her. At first, it was small thingshe stopped asking how her day at school had gone, no longer played with her like before. I put it down to exhaustionhis job was demanding, and he often came home late. Then, he grew irritated whenever I mentioned Poppy. “You spend too much time on her,” he snapped one evening at dinner. I was gobsmacked. Poppys my daughterhow could I *not* care for her? She lives with my mum, Margaret, in the next town over, and I only see her on weekends. Those visits are my lifeline, my way of staying her mum despite the distance.
Then came the ultimatums. A month ago, Jeremy sat across from me at the kitchen table, arms crossed, and said coolly, “I dont want you visiting Poppy every weekend. Its disrupting our family.” I thought Id misheard. *What* family? We dont have children together, and Poppy *is* my family. I tried explaining that I couldnt abandon my daughter, that shed already suffered through one divorce, that she needed me. But he just shrugged. “Shes old enough to manage. If you keep this up, Ill get a solicitor.”
I was stunned. Divorce? Because I want to be a mother to my own child? It was so absurd, I didnt know how to respond. In that moment, I realised the man Id thought was my rock saw me not as his wife, but as someone to control. He didnt just want to limit my time with Poppyhe wanted to dictate my life.
Other memories came flooding back. The snide remarks about my mum, Margaret, accusing her of “spoiling” Poppy. The eye rolls when I bought her gifts or paid for her hobbies. That time he said, “The past should stay in the past,” as if my first marriageand my daughterwere some embarrassing secret. Id brushed it off at the time, but now it all made sense. He wasnt just tolerating Poppyhe wanted her gone.
I dont know what to do. Part of me wants to walk out right now. I cant live with a man who sets conditions like this. But another part is scared. Weve been together seven years. Weve got a house, plans. Ive put so much into this. And how do I explain to Poppy that her mums alone again? She already asks why “Daddy Jeremy” doesnt visit anymore. How do I tell her he wants me to forget her?
My mum, Margaret, says I should protect my daughter, even if it costs me my marriage. “Youll never forgive yourself if you choose him over her,” she told me over the phone. Shes right. Poppy isnt just my pastshes my heart, my responsibility. I remember holding her as a newborn, her first smile, her first steps. I cant betray her for a man who sees her as a problem.
But Jeremy wont back down. The other day, he brought it up again, harsher than ever: “Its me or your daughter. I wont live with a woman who keeps dragging her past into our lives.” I didnt reply, knowing anything I said would only fuel his temper. But deep down, Id already made my choice. Ill never stop seeing Poppy. Never. Even if it costs me my marriage.
Now, Im figuring out the next steps. Maybe consulting a solicitor to understand divorce. Finding a better job so I can stand on my own two feet. Ive even started looking at flats near Poppy. Its terrifying, but theres hope, too. I want her to know Ill always be there, no matter what.
Jeremy probably thinks his threats will make me cave. Hes wrong. I wont bend to rules that force me to give up what matters most. I choose Poppy. And if that means starting over, so be it. For her. For us.
