Scary
I thought Phillip was the love of my life...
Stacey Hall, 32, from Newcastle
Settling down for the night with a cuppa and Netflix, I put my feet up and wrapped a blanket around me.
I’d just been through a break-up, so my Friday nights were looking rather quiet.
On my third Rich Tea biscuit, my phone lit up with a friendly message from a chap I’d met a couple of years before.
Hey Stacey, I’d love to take you out on a date – I’m not letting you slip through my fingers this time, it read. It was from Phillip McGlinchey, then 31, who I’d met in a bar back in 2018.
We’d exchanged social media handles at the time, but nothing came of the encounter and we both went on to date other people.
I always thought of him as a charming guy, and I felt flattered that he’d messaged me – he must have seen my break-up on Facebook.
I’d often wondered if there might have been something between us, if the timings had worked out.
I could sense tension in the air
After some friendly texts, the following week Phillip and I went for a drink at a pub in Walker, Newcastle – he hadn’t changed a bit.
He was the chatty, charming and charismatic guy I remembered – he even asked about my daughter Isha, which meant a lot to me.
After that we were inseparable, spending all our spare time together.
Our romance was a complete whirlwind, but it felt right.
Phillip would turn up at my door with flowers for no reason at all and when I slowly introduced him to Isha, then two, he seemed to really care about her. By September 2020, we were officially an item and I was over the moon.
Phillip moved in with me and Isha and we enjoyed two months of absolute bliss.
One evening in December 2020, as lockdown measures eased, we had my best friend Lisa and her husband Ben, both 32, around for dinner while Isha was at her grandma’s for the night.
‘They’ll love you as much as I do,’ I smiled as I got ready for the evening – and at first, it all went really well.
Sitting around the table, sharing a meal, I felt so happy.
‘Top up, anyone?’ I asked, getting up and heading into the kitchen for some more drinks.
But as I left the table, I heard Phillip muttering something under his breath.
I didn’t catch what he’d said and so carried on, thinking nothing of it.
‘I don’t like what you just said there, mate,’ I heard Ben say protectively, just a few seconds later.
Phillip didn’t respond but the atmosphere changed immediately – I could sense the tension in the air.
Not wanting it to ruin the evening completely though, I changed the subject and hoped we could all carry on having a nice night together.
But after Lisa and Ben left, I decided the time was right to address the
