VINDICTIVE REAL LIFE
Sophie Henson, 23, from Bridgend, thought her first boyfriend would be the man of her dreams...
THE BIG READ
Pulling up to pick up my date, Iwas greeted by a pretty bouquet of M&S flowers.
Back in August 2020, Iwas finally going on a date with Zach.
I knew him through amutual friend, and he seemed quite full of himself –but Ifound his cockiness quite attractive and whenever Zach saw me, he’d wink at me.
‘She’s going to be mine one day,’ Ifound out he had told our mutual friend.
Ifound it really exciting. Because at 19, I’d never had aproper boyfriend.
Ihad my daughter Alice two months prior to meeting Zach, but I’d always been very shy and wasn’t used to this romantic attention.
At the time, Iwas 29st and wearing asize 30 –it made me feel very self-conscious.
So when Imet Zach, I appreciated the flattery, especially as a new mum.
After messaging on social media for a while, he took me to a cabin with ahot tub for our first date –and from that moment on, we were besotted.
‘You’re nothing I’ve ever had before,’ he told me. ‘I think you’re the one.’
I was instantly flattered by his charm and spending more and more time together, Zach was round mine all the time.
At the time, my parents Maureen, 62, and Karl, 60, were staying at my flat. Dad was disabled and Mum needed an extra hand with his care.
When Zach came round, he’d disappear off into my room, so my parents didn’t spend much time with him – they didn’t form much of an opinion of him at first.
But Zach made me feel special and we had asimilar sense of humour – we’d always be up laughing and joking.
On 17 October, after dating for two months, Zach had arow with his dad, who he lived with, and asked to stay with me.
‘Can I stay acouple of nights, and then I’ll go to my sisters?’ he asked.
Only, he moved in permanently –and two weeks later he wanted us to have the flat to ourselves.
‘Can you please ask your mum to move out?’ he said. ‘We don’t get any time together.’ ‘I’m not sure,’ I replied.
‘Just say that you’re older and have found anice boyfriend,’ he told me.
Believing that Zach had my best interests at heart, Idid as he asked, and Mum agreed to move back into her house.
‘It’s abit abrupt,’ she told me, but respected my decision.
Iwas in abubble with Zach, believing that I’d found my happy ending.
‘I’m accepting all your baggage,’ Zach would tell me.
Ifound he would continue to make little digs at me.
‘Oh no, you look better with makeup on,’
