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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

my husband is in love with another woman.

359 replies

ponytailcapbadge · 10/01/2026 18:59

Sorry this is a name change and a long one so as not to drip feed. I would like to hear people’s opinions as I am considering leaving my DH as he is in love with someone else, lets call her Sarah. He has known Sarah since they were 4 years old. Their parents and grandparents were all friends.She is who is parents thought he should and would marry and she is utterly adored by his who family. She called his parents mum and dad. My husband claims they were never an item (although he wished they were) and they have only kissed once when they were teenagers. She’s nothing to look at but has done very well in her career. We are now all in our late 50s.
This is a second marriage for both me and DH. I met him and his DW at work. I was friends with his DW1 and she would often speak about Sarah and how much she hated her and how she had banned her husband from ever contacting her. When DH marriage broke up, I was already divorced and we started seeing each other. Unfortunately in the job we do this is utterly banned and within 2 weeks we were discovered and he was sacked on the spot. He also lost his home at the same time as it went with the job. I was protected because he was my boss and so was considered a victim. DH had to move in with me and I supported him while he searched for a new career. I wanted a commitment from him and he proposed in a very theatrical way within 6 months of us getting together and it was wonderful – or so I thought.

It turned out that he had immediately got in contact with Sarah when his marriage failed and was messaging her several times a day. They also met up at her house. She told him not to marry me. At this point I understood why DW1 hated her. We got married anyway. It’s fair to say it’s been a pretty tempestuous union. My career has skyrocketed and I’ve moved up through the ranks. He’s struggled to find work and earns now a fraction of what he did when we worked together. I knew that he still thought about her and once he called out her name during sex.
When his mother died Sarah turned up at the funeral. I was furious that she should insert herself into our family grief. When DH father died a few years later she also came to that funeral and had the cheek to bring her husband and child as well. I told him in no uncertain terms that if he spoke to her there that the marriage would be over. She glared at me the whole time.
After the funeral I said he could never speak to Sarah again and told him to remove all social media links to her. I don’t understand why Sarah’s husband hadn’t stopped them speaking to each other.
It’s been 6 years and I really thought she was out of our lives and then on NYE his phone pinged.I checked his phone and it was a text from Sarah saying HNY. I then realised she is never going to be gone from our lives. Our respective kids are almost grown up. AIBU to think now is the time to call this a day. I’ve never even spoken to this woman and yet I want to kill her. I hate what she has done to my marriage. Do I really want to spend the last part of my life with a man who is in love with someone else?

OP posts:
StephensLass1977 · 10/01/2026 20:42

Am I the only one who kind of...LIKES Sarah?? I don't know but she sounds kind of sensible and switched on, to me!

Silverbirchleaf · 10/01/2026 20:40

Sarah has done nothing wrong in going to the funerals. She’s known these people all her life!

Regarding the ongoing contact, what has she done? How often is she in contact in with dh? Do they see each other? Maybe the NYE message. was a generic ‘send to all’ message, rather than aimed at your husband, so without further info, we don’t actually know if Sarah has stayed away, and it’s just your paranoia causing problems, or whether she is the third person in your relationship.

They do say, marry in haste, repent at leisure…

ThatCyanCat · 10/01/2026 20:40

You are blaming the wrong person.

Tulcan · 10/01/2026 20:38

Of course she told him not to marry you. He should not have married you. He was in a situation. Sacked and homeless. He should have got his own place and had a normal relationship with you. Not just married you.

Londonrach1 · 10/01/2026 20:37

Yabu re the funerals... Sarah known the family since very young. Tbh I can see why Sarah warned your husband not to marry you. It's too quick and whilst he still married. Sarah sounds like a caring friend who rightly worried about her childhood friend and his new abusive wife.

BooksandCats123 · 10/01/2026 20:37

YABU About the funeral and Happy New Year text.
My husband does in real life have a good friend called Sarah, they text, go to lunch, she’s friends with his mum & dad and she’s known DH about 20 years longer than I have.
I don’t worry about this Sarah because I trust my husband (and his friend Sarah)
Your relationship started with an affair though, it was built on lies and you can’t trust your DH because you know what he is capable of. If Sarah moved to Australia tomorrow you’d have the same trust issues with somebody else.

scoobysnaxx · 10/01/2026 20:37

Have no sympathy, sorry OP.
I can’t understand what you think Sarah has done wrong?
She is a lifelong friend of his and called his parents mum and dad? Of course she’d go to their funerals? Of course she’d text her friend happy new year?
If I was her I’d tell you to go to hell lady!

Who do you think you are?

Has it ever crossed your mind that Sarah has never been interested in your husband?

You might have been dying to claim him despite him being married but doubt everyone else is.

GarlicSound · 10/01/2026 20:37

GarlicSound · 10/01/2026 20:33

What active moves is he making? Confused He received a Happy New Year text.

... unless OP's absent-mindedly forgotten to tell us he replied with "My New Year will only be happy if you leave your husband for me, funding a comfortable home for us both to live together in joyful harmony my darling Sarah, my one and only love!"

I'm guessing her reply to that would look like "WTF, are you drunk?!"

Pollqueen · 10/01/2026 20:36

Poor Sarah. She's done absolutely nothing wrong. She turned up at a funeral for someone she's known her whole life with her husband and kids and you're raging and saying she had no right to be there! Unbelievable

You're the author of your own misfortune in this situation

Tulcan · 10/01/2026 20:35

I can’t believe you just let him move in with you. Or that you have such a bee in your bonnet about Sarah when she’s just living her life. She can go to funerals, it’s not “a cheek”. It’s a normal thing to do.

It’s not her fault your husband is infatuated with her.

Schoolchoicesucks · 10/01/2026 20:35

He moved in with and married you because he needed somewhere to live after losing his job and home.

She knew his parents from childhood and was a friend of the family - of course she was at his parents funerals.

Why are you blaming her and not him for your annoyance?

Why do you think he is in love with her? Why are you letting her have this much space in your head? What makes you think your DH loves her? Do you love him?

GarlicSound · 10/01/2026 20:33

AD1509 · 10/01/2026 20:31

This is ridiculous. Your husband is clearly interested in this lady and is actively making moves. You should decide what you are going to do about it?

What active moves is he making? Confused He received a Happy New Year text.

rainbowsandraspberrygin · 10/01/2026 20:32

OP is there more to the story? I don’t want to pile on - but it’s tricky to see what Sarah has done wrong? she doesn’t have to do what you say. She may not even know you’ve told him not to see her?

I would be surprised if she didn’t go to the funerals.

It does sound like you should call time as you are unhappy.

edited for typo

AD1509 · 10/01/2026 20:31

outofofficeagain · 10/01/2026 19:03

I was with you for the first half. But of course she would turn up to the funerals if she had known them all her life. It sounds like there is much more wrong with this relationship than Sarah

This is ridiculous. Your husband is clearly interested in this lady and is actively making moves. You should decide what you are going to do about it?

NickyWiresSunnies · 10/01/2026 20:31

You are the problem. His lifelong friend, who had every right to be at his parent's funerals, can probably see you unvarnished & that gets under your already smarting-with-distrust skin.
Relationships that begin as affairs often end in the same arena. And stand little chance of success when jealousy oozes from every frame. Your envy, your hectoring, your orders: he's doubtless just as flimsy in the morals dept, but you're barking & hounding him away.

Ellie56 · 10/01/2026 20:27

Well of course Sarah went to his parents' funerals. She'd known them all her life. Some of my friends came to my mum's funeral. I've been to the funerals of my friends' parents. It's what people do. It's called showing respect.

But you clearly don't know much about that.

Academicallyminded · 10/01/2026 20:26

shhblackbag · 10/01/2026 19:20

Me either.

'Nothing to look at' might make you feel better, cutting as it is, but your problem is your husband.

Agree with these folks! Sarah is coming out smelling of roses in this story - she attended the funeral of people she's known and loved all her life, wished a child hood friend HNY, and told him not to marry someone he cheated on his wife with and for a relationship that is, according to your own admission, 'tempestuous'. There is a lot wrong with your relationship, and your attitude to his childhood friend, but Sarah is not the problem.

Errahstop · 10/01/2026 20:26

His lifelong family friendly went to his parents funerals and sent him a Happy New Year text and you are frothing at the mouth? Sarah has not done anything wrong at all.

RawBloomers · 10/01/2026 20:25

Oncloud918 · 10/01/2026 20:21

'Except that your husband called out her name during sex'

There are some extremely liberal views floating around 😂

I think the point is that it isn't her fault that he still want to fuck her. It's possible she has no idea he fancies her. I don't think you have to be liberal to see that as something to hate him for instead of her, just more rational than popular culture likes to assume women are.

Helena39 · 10/01/2026 20:25

Sorry but I do not get it: your husband called Sarah’s name whilst having sex with you and you stayed with him?
I don’t think I could have let him come close to me after this.

Zippidydoodah · 10/01/2026 20:25

Of course she’d turn up to his parents’ funerals, if she’d known them since she was 4 and had a very close relationship with them. It’s ridiculous of you to accuse her of “inserting herself into your family’s grief”. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Zanatdy · 10/01/2026 20:24

She called his parents mum & dad yet you were angry she showed up to their funeral? Of course she did. She had every right to be there. Is your DH in love with her? Sounds like it, but doesn’t sound like she feels the same or she would be with him. Are you (and 1st wife) second best? Probably.

TwistedWonder · 10/01/2026 20:24

Now reading the updates - OP you are a fucking hypocrite. You fucked your mates husband, pushed him into committing to you before the ink was dry on his divorce papers and expected him to lose his oldest friend as.well as his job and home.

I wonder if he ever wonders if shagging you behind his wife’s back was worth the shitshow his life has become.

Oh and I’m not sure it was his first wife who was the abusive one.

You sound like a jealous, insecure controlling nasty piece of work tbh. And while Sarah ‘might not be much to look at‘ at least she’s not a psycho

NotThisShitAgain121 · 10/01/2026 20:23

Why the fuck are you still with him? Fuck him off.

Uptightmumma · 10/01/2026 20:23

So let me get this straight!

nothing has ever actually happened between your DH & Sarah? They are just friends?

you were friends with the ex wife but you got with him anyway and then created an issue that didn’t exist because she told you about her?

of course see went the funeral she’s known them forever

sending HNY messages is normal!!

I think your husband would do well to leave you!