Married to a Stranger

This week the Dating Detectives welcome Dominique, whose “movie-perfect” meet-cute with a quiet coworker spirals into a chilling case study in coercive control. After love-bombing, and a whirlwind Halloween wedding, a dream Smoky Mountains honeymoon gives way to explosive rage, religiously justified domination, isolation from friends, terrifying reckless driving, stalking, and paranoid delusions. Dominique walks us through the pink flags she ignored, the gaslighting that made her second-guess reality, and the careful plan she used to reclaim her home after his arrest. Content warnings: domestic abuse, religious trauma, stalking, mental health crisis. If you’re in an unsafe situation, you’ll find support resources below.Click here to join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you will get 2 extra episodes a month, monthly virtual live events, and access to our community page. And now for $9 a month you can get all of that, plus ad free episodes!If you've been dogfished and want to share your story on the show, email [email protected] or contact us through our website using this linkThis episode is sponsored by Wayfair. Refresh your home for less. Shop back-to-routine deals by visiting Wayfair.com.This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. Get silver-infused, bacteria-fighting, temperature-regulating sheets and towels at TryMiracle.com/TDD and use code TDD to save over 40% and claim a FREE 3-piece towel set.This episode is sponsored by Suvie. Get the smart countertop kitchen robot that refrigerates, cooks, and meal-preps dinner while you're away. Go to Suvie.com/DatingDetectives to start your 100-day risk-free trial and get 16 FREE meals with your order.Take control of your data today. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan by visiting joindeleteme.com/datingdetectives and using the promo code TDD at checkout. This episode of The Dating Detectives is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/tdd today to get 10% off your first month.***The following Program contains names, places and events that have been anonymized or fictionalized for the purposes of protection and safety. The following Program is provided for entertainment purposes only and any commentary from the hosts are strictly conjecture and should not be held as making any definitive statements about the truth or identity of any particular individuals or circumstances.If you or a loved one are involved in an abusive relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for support.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.