VILE REAL LIFE
Stephanie Walker, 36, from Corby, thought she’d met the man of her dreams...
Walking through Corby town centre with my best friend Caitlyn, it was abusy Friday night.
On 4November 2022, the firework night celebrations had started early and after watching the display, Caitlyn and Iheaded to the town centre for adrink to warm up.
Only on the way, we bumped into an old face.
‘Hi,’ aman greeted us. His name was Dean Hutchison, now 40.
He’d been afew years above me at school –we’d never hung out, but I recognised him and found him quite attractive.
And after abit of chit chat, I found myself warming to him. ‘My flat’s just down the road,’ he said. ‘Why don’t you come for adrink at mine?’
Agreeing, Caitlyn and I joined Dean at his flat.
And I couldn’t deny there was something between us –we really clicked.
Dean was funny, sweet and charming, too.
And as someone who’s always been quite guarded when it comes to love, that first night I already felt my barriers starting to weaken.
Iended up staying long after Caitlyn had gone home, spending the night with Dean.
It really felt like love at first sight for me.
And for the next few days I didn’t go home at all.
Me and Dean spent every waking moment together –he seemed perfect.
After our first week together he took me to Nando’s for our first date, with me taking him go karting the following week.
‘I love you,’ Dean told me after just the first week.
‘I love you, too,’ I replied.
I’d never fallen for someone so quickly before.
For the first few weeks, everything seemed perfect between us.
I’d practically moved in after the first week and we spent all our free time together.
Dean couldn’t do enough for me –he’d make my dinner every evening, run my baths for me and wake me up with acup of tea.
‘I’ve been cheated on loads in the past,’ he told me, and I couldn’t believe it.
‘I’d never do that to you, Dean,’ I promised him.
And despite only being together a matter of weeks, Dean was already looking towards the future.
‘We could get married,’ he suggested one day. ‘We could have ababy.’
Ifound myself agreeing. I’d rejected marriage proposals in the past and children were never on the cards –but with Dean it started to feel like something I really did want.
Ignoring what my head told me, for the first time in my life I was following my heart.
But just afew weeks in, afew red flags reared their heads.
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