Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

for giving DW an ultimatum to cut out her male friend or face separation?

189 replies

Froaway2023 · 07/04/2023 20:33

I am 43, DW is 39. We have been dating for six years and married for three and a half. She is white, I am a Egyptian Christian (will be relevant later). She does not know what MN is so, I can be frank with details.

Our issue is her male friend of 5+years. Said friend clearly has designs on my partner. In conversation he has (playfully ) confessed to a relaxed and enlightened attitude towards such adulterous relations, albeit in a more abstract context. He is also just a bit too familiar with my wife for my liking, i.e. massaging her shoulder in my presence to which she acquiesced. In the last few months, they have been spending time together i.e. dinner parties, cinema (they share interest in certain things), and other events I cannot make owing to my commitments at work and cleaning up after my alcoholic sister's mess (she has three kids I practically co-parent, they live a mile away, I am there every three days for about an hour). I began to be really bothered when, one night, whilst I was abroad for business, she locked herself out of the house and informed me that she would spend the evening at his. I objected, offering to book a hotel room instead. When she refused, I went ahead and paid, presenting her with a fait accompli. Guess what? She says oh well! Goes to his. When I remonstrated with her I was told this was not the Middle East. She was not my property. Admittedly she apologised for this and bought me gift.

Things came to ahead when on talking with said friend at a dinner party he made mention of a disease I had in early 2000s. I was astonished and hurt by the revelation that she freely shared what was for me a big burden I carried on from a dark time in my life.

This month, I booked a week off from work to recuperate. When she came home, I sat her down and gave her an ultimatum. My terms? To cut off said friend forever, or it was toast. I was off. I even showed her (admittedly fake) housing arrangements I had made should she refuse. Cue a breakdown. Cue tears. Cue apologies. She said has been her friend for 5 years and has been there for her in desperate times. She says she can have a talk with him but by no means will she cut him off.

Thoughts?

OP posts:
LibrariansGiveUsPower · 07/04/2023 20:53

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

No British man would be happy with their wife receiving massages, flirting, and an overnight stay. This aspect has nothing to do with culture.

Hbh17 · 07/04/2023 20:52

She is allowed to have friends, both men and women.
She doesn't have to do what you tell her.
She may well be better off/ happier if she leaves this marriage.

Puppalicious · 07/04/2023 20:52

I can’t believe how different the responses to you are compared to what they would be if this was a woman posting about her DH having her shoulder massaged, staying over in his female friends house, telling her very personal info etc…

psychDr · 07/04/2023 20:50

You are clearly jealous and possessive - but that's your problem. Not your wife's.

If a woman had posted saying her husband was doing this - staying overnight at a female friend's and allowing said friend to physically massage him in her presence - I'll bet no one would call the OP jealous and possessive for giving him an ultimatum.

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 07/04/2023 20:49

Oops, sorry. That should read:

You're Toast.

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 07/04/2023 20:48

She's not your property.

Toast.

WunWun · 07/04/2023 20:48

This sounds like a reverse. But I can see both sides really. Obviously she was fucking disgusting for telling him about the disease.

psychDr · 07/04/2023 20:45

It sounds really dodgy to me. I wouldn't be thrilled either if my husband decided to stay overnight at a female friend's house rather than stay at a hotel - especially a female friend who he spent a lot of time with and who was giving him massages in my presence Hmm

IrregularChoiceFan · 07/04/2023 20:44

You'd be out, I wouldn't be told who I could and couldn't be friends with by my partner.

Theturtlethatcried · 07/04/2023 20:44

You aren’t “co parenting” by spending an hour every three days with your sister’s kids.

I wouldn’t tolerate being told who I could or couldn’t see, my husband not trusting me or being lied to by my husband with fake housing arrangements.

I also wouldn’t tolerate my husband going out with a woman on regular couple type “dates”, sleeping over at her house or allowing someone else to constantly flirt with him - it’s just disrespectful even if it is genuinely completely platonic.

So all in all I’d suggest you are both in the wrong and this probably isn’t going to be a long happy marriage.

MadMadMadamMim · 07/04/2023 20:44

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 07/04/2023 20:44

You realise that this is a pointless ultimatum? This relationship isn't working of course she will choose her long time friend

Mum2jenny · 07/04/2023 20:43

your wife is her own personality, she is not your property or your pet. Just grow up!!

LibrariansGiveUsPower · 07/04/2023 20:40

She’s right about one thing, she isn’t your property.

You are threatening separation and showing her fake housing documents, this is horrible and controlling behaviour.

Take a long hard think about how you treat her generally- are you treating her with respect love and care?

Her relationship with this friend sounds overfamiliar, and you need to have a respectful adult conversation about it and resetting boundaries, not a juvenile throwing your toys out of the pram.

Swipe left for the next trending thread