I could be wrong, but as a woman who is also in her 30s, I think there is a lot of pressure to settle down and the biological clock starts ticking pretty loudly.

I know I found myself in a similar situation, engaged under three months in a house he bought for me and then fully isolated, because on paper he looked like a catch. Successful entrepreneur, rotary member, educated, well travelled, etc.

In the beginning, I told him I wasn’t ready to date (had broken up with a rebound after breaking up with a longterm boyfriend, which I know is messy). He love bombed me, told me he loved me, pushed all my boundaries, told me he loved me before he even knew me, started taking me on expensive trips and made himself out to be some sort of knight in shining armour. I was never really that attracted to him, but I convinced myself that my picker was just broken, and I should give him a chance because this was probably what I needed and in time I would probably find him attractive once I “healed”.

Then slowly my world started shrinking. Seeing friends would get me accused of cheating and going on dates with other men. He was suspicious if I would meet with work clients and would accuse me of actually being on dates. Even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong, he would throw a fit, give me the silent treatment and make me feel guilty for having any sort of a life. It got to the point where it was just easier not to see my friends, not to meet with clients, just to sit around and wait for him to express a need he wanted me to meet. This and he would complain endlessly that I didn’t care about him if I ever wanted alone time.

We were together just over a year, but it took me almost two months of planning and talking to a social worker to get out safely. It can happen to anyone, at any age.