I usually don't post on forums but I don't know what else to do. This is a long story but I will try to keep it brief.
I first met my boyfriend in 2010, it was an instant and intense chemistry that everyone noticed but we did not start dating until April 2011. It was a whirlwind and he quickly became my best friend and love of my life. I've had other long term relationships before but we were different. He said the same. Things were wonderful for over a year until the summer of 2012. At that time, he was getting ready to go back "home" for a month long visit. Home is in Europe. In 1994 he had an accident. He stepped on a landmine and lost half of his leg. He spent years in hospitals. First in Croatia and then in the US. He eventually was able to walk again (with a prosthetic) and got back to work. He remained in the US. I knew that we wouldn't have much contact during the trip but he completely disappeared. He stopped talking to me about 4 days before he left and I didn't hear another word for 2 months.
He agreed to meet me but I know from the moment that I saw him that something was wrong. His eyes were dead. He had lost a ton of weight and had bags under his eyes. He also started smoking again. He had quit years before. He hugged me tight and told me that we would get it back and then he left. That was in August 2012.
He changed his phone number! I emailed but he didn't reply. I sent him a card 2 months later for his birthday but got no response. I received an email from him on my November birthday. That opened up some casual conversation but he didn't call until December. It took some time but we were back together by February 2013. He told me that he was diagnosed with PTSD and just "climbed into a box". Through all that time he never considered us broken up. We were good and in love for a couple more years and then things started going south in November 2015. His father was ill and eventually passed away in December 2015. This hit him hard and he shut down. In February I was hospitalized for emergency surgery. He was there at the hospital but you could see how uncomfortable hospitals made him. Because of complications, I was in and out several times during a 6 month period but he was always there.
Until September 2015. That's when he started pulling further away. He opened up and told me about money problems he was having. He was feeling ashamed but felt much better after we talked about it. He also has a 12 year old son that he adores. The child's mother goes out of her way to make his life hell. She was essentially blackmailing him by using the son as a pawn. He was also under a lot of pressure to take care of his mother. She's a nice lady but very controlling and high maintenance. She calls often and if he doesn't jump she has a medical "crisis".
(Cont)
I first met my boyfriend in 2010, it was an instant and intense chemistry that everyone noticed but we did not start dating until April 2011. It was a whirlwind and he quickly became my best friend and love of my life. I've had other long term relationships before but we were different. He said the same. Things were wonderful for over a year until the summer of 2012. At that time, he was getting ready to go back "home" for a month long visit. Home is in Europe. In 1994 he had an accident. He stepped on a landmine and lost half of his leg. He spent years in hospitals. First in Croatia and then in the US. He eventually was able to walk again (with a prosthetic) and got back to work. He remained in the US. I knew that we wouldn't have much contact during the trip but he completely disappeared. He stopped talking to me about 4 days before he left and I didn't hear another word for 2 months.
He agreed to meet me but I know from the moment that I saw him that something was wrong. His eyes were dead. He had lost a ton of weight and had bags under his eyes. He also started smoking again. He had quit years before. He hugged me tight and told me that we would get it back and then he left. That was in August 2012.
He changed his phone number! I emailed but he didn't reply. I sent him a card 2 months later for his birthday but got no response. I received an email from him on my November birthday. That opened up some casual conversation but he didn't call until December. It took some time but we were back together by February 2013. He told me that he was diagnosed with PTSD and just "climbed into a box". Through all that time he never considered us broken up. We were good and in love for a couple more years and then things started going south in November 2015. His father was ill and eventually passed away in December 2015. This hit him hard and he shut down. In February I was hospitalized for emergency surgery. He was there at the hospital but you could see how uncomfortable hospitals made him. Because of complications, I was in and out several times during a 6 month period but he was always there.
Until September 2015. That's when he started pulling further away. He opened up and told me about money problems he was having. He was feeling ashamed but felt much better after we talked about it. He also has a 12 year old son that he adores. The child's mother goes out of her way to make his life hell. She was essentially blackmailing him by using the son as a pawn. He was also under a lot of pressure to take care of his mother. She's a nice lady but very controlling and high maintenance. She calls often and if he doesn't jump she has a medical "crisis".
(Cont)