Sipping my tea, I grimaced with disgust and asked my husband Thomas if the milk was off. He shrugged, then said with a glint in his eye, 'You never know, I could have put anything in it...' I put his comment down to his dark sense of humour, never imagining the truth.
was far darker. I met Thomas Ferneyhough, 38, in November 2014 on a dating site. I was a recently divorced mum of two and Thomas caught my eye - at 6ft 3in,
with dark hair, he was attractive, and after discovering we had mutual friends, I felt reassured he was a decent man.
We had our first date in a bar in Stafford and, after a few months, I introduced him to my kids, who he was great with. Looking back, I can now see Thomas was full-on, wanting to be with me all the time, and sulking if I made arrangements to see friends and family. I put it down to him being insecure, and in June 2015, he moved into my house. I hoped it would prove I was serious about our relationship, but things just got worse.
I wasn't allowed on nights out, as he didn't want me talking to other men. I also wasn't allowed to walk our pug, Bella, on my own.
I ask myself every day why I didn't leave him then, but there were good times too, and I wanted to make it work. Then, in December 2015, I came home from work and on our bed, written in rose petals, were the words: 'Will you marry me?' I said 'yes', and we tied the knot in June 2017.
I thought it would be a new beginning for us, but instead, Thomas began to control what I wore, and I wasn't allowed out of the house unless he was satisfied with my outfit. My family and friends thought he was great, and I was too ashamed to admit what was going on.
This story is from the February 26, 2024 edition of WOMAN - UK.
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This story is from the February 26, 2024 edition of WOMAN - UK.
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