Reddit Stories - COVERTLY DEPARTED from my PARTNER'S flat while he was at the fitness center

Episode Date: July 10, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #relationships #secrets #betrayal #confessions #dramaSummary: I COVERTLY DEPARTED from my PARTNER'S flat while he was at the fitness center, sparking a whirlwind of emotions and questions.Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, relationships, secrets, betrayal, confessions, drama, departure, partner, flat, fitness center, emotions, questions, mystery, intrigue, covert, departureBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Covertly departed from my partner's flat while he was at the fitness center for his morning exercise because his sibling despised me and alienated everyone from me. I'm, a 26-year-old female, departing. Mike, M31, tomorrow. I'm so damn tired of taking crap from his family while he won't lift a finger to at least stand up for me. Looking for some advice on whether I'm handling this the right way or if I'm just being a massive bit H about everything.

For context, we've been dating for about three years and living together for over a year. We met at a friend's birthday party where he spilled his drink on me, then insisted on buying me another one as an apology. He was charming and funny and we hit it off right away. I always thought we were solid until his family started showing their true colors, and he showed me exactly where I stand in his priorities. His sister has this strong personality that she is used in every, way possible to destroy her own marriages. I'll call her Darla F-37. She's articulate, learned a

trait and is very outspoken. She could be out there making a living but she chose to be a stay-at-home mom, no job, fighting her ex for child support and using her sharp tongue to insult people. Every family gathering is like walking through a minefield with her. One wrong word and boom, you're the enemy for life. She has two kids, both under 10, who she uses as excuses for everything. Can't work because of the kids. Can't clean her house because of the kids. Can't be on time because of the kids. Somehow she has time to start drama on Facebook and get into fights with random people online. She's always posting cryptic messages about fake people and knowing who your real friends are but never actually says who she's talking about. She complains. She

about being short of cash but turns away working opportunities that come her way. I've seen people literally offer her jobs and she finds some excuse why it won't work. Like Mike's uncle once offered her a receptionist position at his dental office with flexible hours and good pay, and she said no because she doesn't do well in medical environments. Whatever that means. You can't say anything without being worried that she will think it's about her and she doesn't respect other people's opinions. She's the type to make every about herself. Like if someone mentions they're tired, she'll jump in with how she hasn't slept in days because of her kids. For example, she had a major crisis a while back when her ex left her.

She was triggered and alternated from tears to rage, sometimes in the same conversation. It was actually kind of scary to watch. No one knew what to say to her without setting her off. She'd be sobbing one minute about how much she missed him, then screaming the next about what an asshole he was and how she never wanted to see him again. The whole family was walking on eggshells around her. I remember this one dinner where she showed up already in a mood. Mike's mom had made this big meal and invited everyone over to try to cheer Darla up. But Darla complained that the food was too spicy, it wasn't, that the music was giving her a headache, it was barely audible, and that everyone was staring at her, nobody was. Then Mike's dad made

some joke about the neighbor's new car being compensating for something, and Darla burst into tears saying everyone was making fun of her ex. It was exhausting. Their mom asked me for advice in terms of what to do because they were contemplating sending her to a mental clinic but Darla refused. I said maybe she could use a distraction to help ease her pain. I suggested maybe getting a part-time job could bring her back to herself and if she liked it, it would help her keep her mind off what was happening. I thought I was being helpful. The whole family was worried about her and at a loss for what to do. At the time, his mom seemed to appreciate my input. She nodded and said, that's not a bad idea. Something to get her out of the house. We even talked about specific

places that might be hiring. I actually thought his mom and I were bonding over this shared concern for Darla. Days later, Darla decided that I was the enemy, that I had insulted her and that I implied that she was crazy and the root of her mental breakdown was her being jobless. Those were Mike's words when he came to talk to me about it. She started telling the whole family that I thought she was lazy and unstable. She twisted my words completely. She also decided that I shouldn't talk to their youngest brother, Tim M. 30, and I both became her foe and lost Tim. We were friends in the same week. Tim and I were actually very good friends. He's the most normal one in the family and we could talk for hours about random stuff.

His wife Sarah and I got along great too. We'd text each other memes and go shopping together sometimes. His wife was almost always included in our interactions too. We'd have them over for dinner or meet up for drinks. It wasn't anything weird or inappropriate. But suddenly Mike says to me that Tim and I shouldn't talk so much because it was weird. What the hell does that even mean? The whole thing left me feeling embarrassed and like I'd done something dirty when I absolutely

hadn't. I remember asking Mike directly, do you think there's something inappropriate going on between me and Tim? And he had the audacity to say, well, you two are awfully close. Like being friends with your boyfriend's brother is some kind of crime. I reminded him that Sarah was usually there too, and he just shrugged and said, Darla thinks it's weird, and I kind of agree. that, Tim stopped responding to my texts. Sarah unfollowed me on Instagram. It hurt a lot,

especially since I thought we were genuine friends. I later found out that Darla had told them I was talking shit about their marriage behind their backs. Complete lies. But they believed her because she's family and I'm just the girlfriend. Mike supported Darla and told me I should apologize to her. For what? For giving advice that his mother asked for? He said I didn't understand family dynamics and that his sister was going through a hard time. Yeah, no shit, we all knew that. But apparently the solution was to walk on eggshells around her and never suggest anything that might help her situation improve. I tried to explain to Mike how unfair this was, how I was just trying to help when his mom asked for my opinion.

He said, you don't get it. Darla's always been sensitive. You should have known better than to suggest she needed to work. As if suggesting a job as a distraction was some terrible insult. He kept saying things like that's just how Darla is and you have to understand how our family works. It was like he expected me to just accept being treated like garbage because that's how their family works. The worst part is that Mike never stands up for me. Not once.

When Darla started spreading shit about me to the rest of the family, he just stood there and let it happen. When their mom started treating me differently, he said I was imagining things. When I got uninvited from family events, he went without me and said I was being dramatic. I remember this one time we were supposed to go to his cousin's wedding together. I had bought a new dress and everything. Then two days before, Mike tells me that maybe it would be better if I didn't go because Darla is still upset and doesn't want any drama at the wedding. As if I'm the one who creates drama.

I asked him if he was still going, and he said yes, of course, it's his cousin. So he went without me, posted a bunch of pictures of him having a great time with his family, and then came home drunk at 3 a.m. talking about what an amazing time it was. I felt so excluded and hurt. There was another incident at Thanksgiving where I spent hours helping his mom cook, and then when we sat down to eat, Darla announced that she had reserved the seat next to their mom for Tim's wife. The seat I was about to sit in. I had to move to the end of the table next to some distant cousin I'd never met. Mike just watched it happen and didn't say a word.

I'm sick of having to deal with Mike's attitude every time he visits his family. Our last big argument took place after he came back calling me controlling, because I asked him to stop drinking because he gets belligerent and has said very hurtful things, and a liar, when my arrhythmia got triggered after a huge argument and I asked him to leave me alone because I wasn't feeling well due to anxiety. That night was particularly bad. He'd been at his parents' house for a family dinner that I wasn't invited to, surprise, surprise. He came home clearly drunk, stumbling through the door around midnight. I was already in bed but got up when I heard him knock over the lamp in the living room. When I asked him if he was okay to drive, he launched into

this tirade about how I'm always monitoring him and trying to control his drinking. He knows about my heart condition. I've had it since I was a teenager. It's usually under control with medication, but stress and anxiety can trigger episodes. That night, as he was yelling at me, I could feel my heart starting to race and flutter. I told him I needed to sit down, that I wasn't feeling well, but he accused me of faking it to get out of the conversation. Like yeah, I'm totally manipulating my own heart rhythm. That's a skill I picked up. I ended up blocking. I ended up locking, in the bathroom, taking my emergency medication and trying to calm down while he banged on the door telling me to stop being so dramatic. When I finally came out, he had passed out on the couch.

The next morning he barely remembered any of it and said I was exaggerating about how bad it was. We've been living together in his place for over a year. I don't have a lot of things to take with me but I paid half of everything and paid for groceries in full and for the electricity bill. I even bought the couch we sit on and the TV we watch. I paid to have the bathroom re-tiled when the shower started leaking. I bought new curtains for the living room and bedroom. I replaced the ancient microwave with a new one when it died. No matter how much I contributed, I wasn't treated like an equal and his mother told me, to my face, that no matter who or what happens, her son is clear about his main priorities. After this, I got the ick and decided

to leave him. That conversation with his mother happened at her house. Mike had gone out to the garage with his dad to look at some car thing, and his mom cornered me in the kitchen. She started off all nice, asking how things were going at my job, if I was enjoying living with Mike. Then out of nowhere she says, you know, Mike's always been very family-oriented. His priorities are clear. The way she said it, looking me straight in the eye, it was obvious what she meant. I would never be a priority for him, not over his family, not over Darla. I've been sleeping in the guest room for about two months. He thinks it's because I snore or some bullshit excuse I gave him.

I told him I was going through a stressful time at work and needed better sleep. The truth is I couldn't stand the thought of him touching me anymore. He has tried to initiate sex several times, coming into the room late at night or trying to corner me in the kitchen. I treat him politely, but I already lost my impulse to save our relationship. It's like a switch flipped in my head. There was this one night a couple weeks ago when I was in the kitchen making tea and he came up behind me and started kissing my neck. I just felt.

Nothing. Actually worse than nothing. I felt repulsed. I made some excuse about having cramps and went back to the guest room. He got all huffy about it, saying I never want to be. intimate anymore and asking if I was cheating on him. As if the only reason I wouldn't want to sleep with him is if I was sleeping with someone else. The guest room has become my sanctuary in a way. I moved most of my clothes in there, my books, my laptop. I spend most of my time in there when I'm

home. He's complained about it a few times, saying we're like roommates not partners, but he never asks why I might be pulling away. He never considers that his actions and his family's treatment of me might be the problem. I'm sad but looking forward to ending this. I found a new place and will move out after he goes out for his morning workout. He's religious about his gym time, so I know I'll have at least two hours. He goes every morning at 7 a.m., comes back around 9.30 a.m. I already removed my documents and other important stuff and whatever I keep at his place fits into my car. I've been slowly moving things out when he's not around. I start. I start to, started looking for a new place about a month ago.

At first I was just browsing listings, telling myself I was just curious about the market. But then I found this small one-bedroom apartment not far from my work. I signed the lease last week and got the keys three days ago. I'm planning on letting him know after I'm gone but I never thought it would come to this and I'm a bit concerned. Not that I'm trying to justify or protect him but I know it will be a blow to his ego and I don't want trigger his emotional imbalances. I'm mentioning this because I've seen how he gets when his friends brush him off. He's the type who can't handle rejection. Like it all.

I remember when his friend Jake stopped returning his texts after Mike got too drunk at Jake's birthday and hit on Jake's girlfriend. Mike was obsessed with figuring out why Jake was ghosting him, constantly checking if Jake had read his messages, driving by Jake's apartment to see if his car was there. It was honestly a bit scary. Also, his best friend from college cut him off a while back and he got depressed for weeks. They've been friends since freshman year, and apparently the guy got tired of Mike's drama and drinking. And another friend he was going to try and start a business with ended things and Mike was a little scared because he stopped eating and spent all of his free time in bed. He didn't shower for like four days and his mom had to come over and basically force him to get up.

I don't want to be responsible for him spiraling, but I also can't stay in this relationship anymore. The business thing was actually kind of a red flag I should have paid more attention to. Mike and this guy Chris were going to start some kind of home renovation business together. Chris had the skills and experience, Mike had some money saved up. They were in the planning stages for months, talking about names for the company, looking at trucks to buy, all that. Then suddenly Chris backed out. Mike claimed it was because Chris got a better offer from some other company. But I later found out from a mutual friend that Chris got tired of Mike changing plans,

showing up late to meetings, and not following through on things he promised to do. I don't see anything that could be said to fix our relationship. Too much has happened and I don't think I can get past the way his family treated me and how he just let it happen. The trust is gone. The love is gone. All that's left is this hollow routine. were both going through. Edit, thanks for all the comments.

Some of you are really harsh LOL, but I appreciate the advice. I'll update tomorrow after it's done. I'm tired of having the same conversation over and over. Update, I guess a lot of people wanted me to update, so here goes. I'm tired of having the same conversation over and over. Update, I guess a lot of people wanted me to update, so here goes. I'm tired of having the same conversation over and over. Update, I guess a lot of people wanted me to update, so here goes.

I'm tired of having the same conversation over and over. Update, I guess a lot of people wanted me to update, so here goes. I'm tired of having the same conversation over and over. I'm tired of having the same conversation over and over. I'm tired of having the same conversation over and over. I didn't expect over 60 comments on my original post. Really surprised at how many people are invested in my stupid relationship problems, LOLL. First, thanks for the advice and tips. I changed my mailing address as soon as I found a new place. Some of you were right about that being important.

I had a few packages redirected already. I also made sure to update my address with my bank, credit cards, and other important accounts. Another thing I did was double-check that all my important documents were together, birth certificate, passport, social security card, all that stuff. Found out my passport was expired, but that's a problem for another day. I hardly got any sleep the night before because I was very anxious. Kept having these scenarios play out in my head where Mike would come home early or somehow figure out what I was doing. I think I maybe got two hours of sleep total.

The plan was to leave in the morning but things got complicated. Last night, he tried to initiate sex by coming into my room. Thankfully, I hadn't packed anything yet, kept all the unassembled boxes in my closet, so he didn't catch a glimpse of anything looking off. I did keep most of my things in that room and built a list of items around his place that I needed to load into my car. I've been updating it for weeks whenever I remembered something else I needed to take. Also, for those who were concerned about trackers, seriously, some of you watched too many crime shows I took my phone to the IT booth at the mall to check for trackers, same for my car.

Nothing, which was a relief. I was probably being paranoid but better safe than sorry, I guess. The guy at the IT booth looked at me weird when I asked him to check for tracking software, but he did it anyway. Probably gets a lot of paranoid people in there. He left this morning for his workout around the usual time. I watched from the window to make sure his car actually pulled out of the parking lot. As soon as he was gone, I got to work.

It's crazy how much stuff you can accumulate even when you think you don't have much. I immediately packed the boxes and my suitcases and took the rest of my belongings. It was actually less stuff than I thought. Funny how after living together for over a year, all my stuff fit into my crappy Honda. I had to make two trips because I couldn't fit everything at once. I was so nervous the second trip that he'd come home early and catch me, but thankfully he stuck to his usual schedule. I did leave the couch and TV even though technically they're mine.

Not worth the hassle and I didn't want to give him any reason to claim I stole anything. Plus, I wouldn't have been able to move them by myself anyway. Before I left for the final time, I took one last look around the apartment. I texted him about my decision once I was out and safely at my new place. I kept it brief, just said that things weren't working between us, his family situation was too toxic for me, and that I'd moved out. I said we could arrange a time to talk later if needed, but that my decision was final. He called me immediately, like within seconds of the text.

I almost didn't answer but figured I owed him at least a conversation. He didn't take it well. He accused me of being selfish, using his family as an excuse and sexually devalued me by calling me a cold fish for not wanting to have sex with him. He said I was frigid and that was the real reason our relationship had problems. Because apparently, a woman not wanting to sleep with a man who lets his family treat her like garbage is the real issue. Also, he had moments in which he apologized and begged me to reconsider but switched back to hostility within the same call. It was weird, like talking to two different people.

One minute he'd be saying how much he loved me and needed me, the next he'd be telling me I was a selfish bitch who never cared about him. It was emotional whiplash. He kept asking where I was, if I was with someone else, demanded to know my new address. I refused to tell him any of that information. He said he was coming home immediately and we needed to talk face to face. I told him that wasn't going to happen, that I told him that wasn't going to happen, that I was I'd said everything I needed to say. After almost half an hour of back and forth, I hung up because he was making me both nervous and angry and I can't afford to allow this to affect my health.

My heart was already racing and I was getting lightheaded. I took my medication and tried to calm down. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely open the pill bottle. Then nothing happened for like three days. I thought maybe he'd calm down. Maybe he'd accepted my decision and was moving on. Nope. The text started coming in at all hours. Sometimes apologetic, sometimes nasty. He'd text at 2 a.m. saying he missed me, then at 6 a.m. calling me horrible names. It was exhausting just seeing the notifications pop up. His mom called me too, which I ignored. She left a voicemail saying we needed to talk about this situation and that I was breaking her son's heart. As if his heart is the only one that matters. Then Darla got involved, sending me this long, rambling message on

Facebook about how I'd never deserved her brother and how the whole family was relieved I was gone. If they were so relieved, why wouldn't they just leave me alone? I blocked everyone in his family, but I'll be changing my number soon just to be sure. I've also blocked them from my social media. Might even deactivate for a while just to get some peace. It's exhausting dealing with all this drama when I'm trying to settle into my new place and move on with my life. I'm exhausted because my condition causes fatigue if I don't rest properly for extended periods of time. The stress of all this has made it worse. I feel like I could sleep for a week.

I've been trying to take care of myself, eating properly, taking my medication, getting some light exercise. But it's hard when my phone keeps lighting up with messages from Mike or members of his family using different numbers to get around being blocked. For now, I'll be focusing on other things to avoid thinking too much. I'm not interested in dating because this has left me feeling very negative towards relationships in general. I think I'm good being single for a while. Or maybe forever, who knows? The thought of going through all this again with someone else is just exhausting. Thanks again for all the advice. It really helped knowing I wasn't completely crazy for feeling the way I did. Sometimes when you're in the middle of a toxic situation, you start to doubt your own perceptions

and feelings. Reading all your comments made me realize that my feelings were valid and I wasn't overreacting. Edit, I've been getting some weird DMs from guys trying to comfort me or whatever, please stop. I'm not looking to date anyone right now, especially not random dudes from Reddit. Edit 2. OMG stop asking me where I live. I'm not going to tell internet strangers my location, are you crazy? And no, I'm not posting pictures of my new place either. Some of you are creepy a. F.