My friend and I both got divorced around the same time. We both started dating again about the same time and immediately found long term relationships. His was with a woman who lived in a middle-eastern country. Every time we went out, which was weekly, he would update her on where we going (it was common for us to hit a few places after work, like a bar then an arcade then maybe some good). That was fine, but he started saying he had to go home because she didn’t like it.
She eventually moved from her country to be with him. We made plans for double dates and they were no-shows or an hour late. We hung out with them at her rich uncles place once (in our city) and she was very forceful but me and my girlfriend taking edibles even though we were headed out soon.
When I hung out with him and his girlfriend, she would pester me about how I hadn’t quit smoking or was drinking too much (drinking an equal amount as them, and granted: I was try to quit smoking. Turns out that’s not as simple as it sounds). I was pretty good about not smoking but if I drank I would smoke and then throw my pack away. Not a great system, but better than continuing altogether.
She basically forced him to go back to school (for what, he didn’t know), and encouraged him to take something like 15-20 credits while working a somewhat stressful job full time and having shared custody of his son. She would not allow him to play any video games, which was his only and favorite pastime. He could only play phone games while he was at work.
The difference between my previous marriage and his was that he had a son and I am childless. His son did not like his new girlfriend and from what I could tell, she didn’t make much of an effort.
After a little while, he started talking about giving up his custody of his son, simultaneously wanting to start a new family with his new girlfriend.
I’m not saying that that’s necessarily wrong, and I can sort of understand his perspective, but the idea that he was willing to abandon his son and everything that made him happy, so he could start a new family with his extremely controlling girlfriend he hadn’t known that long made me not want to keep contact anymore. I told him exactly why I didn’t want to hang anymore, too.
I don’t know if either of us are right or wrong, but I couldn’t handle hearing complaints about the situation while he dug himself deeper every day.