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A husband scorned

I thought I'd fled far enough away from my ex - but I was wrong...


Published by: Amy Thompson
Published on: 23rd November 2010

The things we turn a blind to when we’re in love… Even the most annoying habits are ignored because love is worth going that extra mile for, isn’t it? Yet, looking at my hubby Lilu’s packed bag by the front door, I knew my relationship had finally reached the end of the road.
‘Come on, Khallel,’ I murmured, lifting my six-month-old out of his cot. ‘Let’s have a cuddle.’
In the beginning, things had been great between me and Lilu, 35. I remember the first time I saw him in a nightclub in Newcastle. I’d just graduated from college and was counting the days until I flew back to my home town in Ireland.
Then I’d spotted Lilu on the dance floor. He was gorgeous! ‘Talk about tall, dark and handsome,’ my mate Nikky had giggled.
As soon as he’d walked by us, I’d grabbed the opportunity…
‘Fancy a chip?’ I’d blurted.
Fancy a chip?! Smooth!
Surprisingly, it had worked, though, and Lilu had sat down. ‘Don’t mind if I do,’ he’d grinned.
From then on, I’d known I wasn’t going back to Ireland. Even leaving him for a week to visit my parents had felt horrendous.
The next time I went, I’d taken him along with me.
Dad was wary at first, but Mum took to him straight away.
Because Lilu came from a Muslim family, though, his mum was always badgering us to get married. After nearly three years together, we’d finally given in and let her arrange a small Muslim ceremony at her home.
We’d planned to have a proper Catholic wedding in Ireland later so then we’d be legally married.
It’d never happened, though – I’d fallen pregnant with Khallel so quickly, we hadn’t had the time or money to plan another wedding.
Still, it was enough for us, just being a happy little family.
‘I love you both so much,’ Lilu would say, gazing at me with big brown eyes.
He was a great dad, helping with the night-feeds, cooking dinner… The three of us would spend hours on the beach together at weekends, playing in the sand.
But after four
months of settling into motherhood, I’d been desperate for a night out.
That’s when things had taken a nasty turn.
Lilu had seemed fine at first when I’d stepped into my high heels for the first time in a year. I’d kissed him goodbye and headed off with some of my friends.
The next day, though, he’d flipped! ‘I’m going out,’ he’d huffed, eyes full of rage. ‘I’ll see you later’
The look on his face had knocked me for six!
Before I could say any more, though, he’d stormed out.
I’d figured it was because he was used to me being home all the time and just needed to adjust.
But as the months rolled by, things got worse. I couldn’t take his moods any more.
So here I was, making a clean break. While Lilu went to Birmingham to stay with his family, me and Khallel were going to share our house with my mate Nikky in Newcastle, 200 miles away from him.
Thankfully, he didn’t make a fuss. Maybe a bit of distance was what we needed…
It certainly seemed that way.
Fifteen months rolled by, and Lilu came to visit Khallel every weekend. As our boy’s second birthday approached, me and his dad started getting on better, too.
Too well, it seemed.
‘Let’s give things another go,’ he begged me over the phone. ‘I still love you.’
‘No,’ I replied. ‘It wouldn’t be the same.’
‘Please,’ he said.
Taking a deep breath, I blurted out the other reason. ‘I’m seeing someone else.’ 
Would he go mad, like the bad old days?
‘Oh.’ That was all he said. Clearly he was shocked.
Silly, but his reaction made me feel guilty somehow, even though we’d been split up for ages.
‘Well, who is he?’ he asked.
‘I’m sorry,’ I told him. ‘I can’t talk about this right now.’
Before he could ask any more, I hung up.
Four hours later, I was tucking Khallel into my bed for an afternoon nap when there was a knock at the front door.
‘I’ll get it,’ I called to Nikky.
Lilu stood on the doorstep. ‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Can I come in?’
‘Sure,’ I nodded, surprised.
I took him up to my room so he could see Khallel, but our little one had already drifted off to sleep. Lilu stroked his hair. ‘So,’ he started as we sat on the edge of my bed. ‘Who’s this guy you’re seeing?’
‘His name’s Jamie,’ I said, feeling awkward. ‘We’ve been going out for almost a year. He’s great with Khallel…’
‘Got a picture?’ he asked.
I stared at him, baffled. ‘I just want to see what sort of bloke’s hanging around my son,’ he said.
Frowning, I pulled out my phone and found a picture of Jamie.
‘There you go,’ I began. But no sooner were the words out than Lilu grabbed me by the throat, heaving my off the bed.
Slamming my back against the floor, he pinned me down with his knees.
‘Stop!’ I wheezed.
Steel-like fingers tightened around my neck. My eyes bulged so much I thought they’d pop out. Struggling against his weight, I tried to push him off. No use… ‘Nikky!’ I sobbed. My lungs felt like they were going to explode.
He was going to kill me! Black spots danced in front of my eyes. Lilu pulled his fist back, it raced towards me, then… darkness.
The sound of Khallel crying woke me. I gazed around the room groggily, heaving myself on to the bed. Where was my baby…?
Hauling myself up, I raced to
the front door.
‘Fiona!’ Nikky gasped. She had Khallel in one hand, the phone in the other. ‘Are you okay?
‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear what was happening. I only realised something was wrong when I heard the front door slam and Khallel howling. Then I saw you on the floor and I thought you were…’
She trailed off. ‘I’ve called an ambulance and the police,’ she said.
‘But I’m fine,’ I told her, reaching out to take Khallel. He shrieked.
‘What’s wrong?’ I gasped, horrified.
‘F-Fiona… have you seen your face?’
What? I looked in the mirror. My face was unrecognisable, swollen and covered in blood. Purple rings circled my bloodshot eyes.
Suddenly, pain exploded in my head like a thousand knives.
‘Argh!’ I cried, doubling over.
Next thing I knew, I was in hospital. Lilu’s savage beating had left me with a broken eye socket. I had to have stitches in my head.
A few hours later, he handed himself in to police. In January, he pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to causing me grievous bodily harm with intent, and was sentenced to five years in prison.
I couldn’t believe my ex had driven 200 miles to beat me up. The lengths he’d gone to to stop me being with anyone else! In one way, his plan worked, as me and Jamie broke up shortly after the attack. But I’m determined not to let him ruin the rest of my life.
Me and Khallel are getting back to normal now in a new home, miles away from him.
Lilu Miah might have gone to extraordinary lengths to hurt me, but I’ll go to the ends of the earth to keep my son safe.
Fiona McCabe, 32, Bristol