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Imagining if I'd known about MN so I could have posted in relationships about my exH...

10 replies

IfOnlyIdHadMNThen · 11/11/2021 18:07

Nearly 15 years ago. Mumsnet was around but sadly I didn't know about it... so I've been imagining how the thread would go if I'd posted back then!

ExH decided that the night before I went away to take a relative for a big cancer op was the time to hook up with my friend (his coworker) and then dump me. I had no choice but to go and be with my family member, but they spent the whole time having romantic dinners, dates, and nights together in our home. I was so devastated that I foolishly jumped at the chance to get back together a few weeks later when he changed his mind. Except that he kept sneaking back to continue the affair whilst convincing me that it was all paranoia on my part and that he wouldn't hurt me again. Ex-friend invited me over to talk one evening. It began as apologies but turned out to be that she wanted to tell me (why?!) that my husband had been seeing her again (again). It was clear we'd have no hope staying in the area, plus I wasn't coping at all and was a nervous wreck.

Moved away together to start afresh and began marriage counselling. He was very emotionally distant and openly pined after OW to me (I stupidly tried to comfort him and help him 'work through it'). All the while he was still expecting sex, which he occasionally got aggressive about or ignored my boundaries and did things I had said no to - often whilst drunk, meaning he couldn't remember the next day and conversations about what had happened went nowhere.

One day I lucked out on discovering they were still texting as left his phone on the side (I hadn't been allowed to touch said phone in months). That spurred him on to show me a secret email account used for them to communicate, including emails where they were laughing together about their boss asking her about her love life (if only he knew, chuckle chuckle), and others planning to meet up that weekend. I was gutted. He refused to leave her a voicemail ending things as he didn't want to hurt her. My mental health was on the floor, I was suicidal and felt like I was losing my mind. He thought I was faking it to manipulate him or get attention. I ended up very stupidly kissing someone else (inexcusable as I hate cheating), which I felt awful about and fessed up about straight away in order to do the right thing. He became hysterical, couldn't believe how hurt he felt and now 'realised what he had put me through'. It was very weird. We sat talking and he suddenly started crying and masturbating which I found utterly repulsive and was a key moment of the scales falling from my eyes.

Back we went to marriage counselling. Then I discovered that after my confession he had become very suspicious of me and had cloned my email account so he could spy on me (he had changed settings on my email account so that every time I received or sent an email it also sent a copy to another secret email account that he'd set up). There was nothing to find but it felt very intrusive. By now I felt nothing but repulsion for him so I used marriage counseling as a platform to end things and moved away asap. He begged and cried loads for another chance, then i heard he'd got someone else pregnant a couple of months later (a big blow as we'd been struggling with infertility since a good while before the whole saga began). While she was pregnant (not sure if he knew about pregnancy yet or not) he rung me at work to tell me it would never be over between us from his point of view.

The whole thing sends shivers down my spine just thinking about the horrible dysfunction of it all. I didn't tell anyone a lot of the details until after it ended because I thought we'd stay together and I didn't want people to think badly of him. If only I'd had MN as a sounding board it could have been a lot less painful! Grin Thankfully the next relationship I had was with a very decent and lovely man, but he had to be very patient while I found it very hard to trust for a while.

Anybody else have a horror story that in hindsight MN could have diverted?

OP posts:
Cherrysoup · 11/11/2021 20:33

I’m grateful that I don’t have a horrible story to share but just wanted to say well done for getting out. I never cease to be amazed by the shitty behaviour from partners who claim to love their wife/husband. Is it terrible to say that it’s a relief you didn’t have kids so you don’t still have a connection?

Luckyelephant1 · 11/11/2021 20:36

Glad you're out of this OP.

The masturbating bit...what the actual fuck??!?!?!?

Weatherwax13 · 11/11/2021 20:57

@IfOnlyIdHadMNThen I'm sorry you went through such nasty crap. What a vile, disgusting man. I really hope you're in a good place now with safety and happiness.
I clicked on this as it's spooky: I was literally thinking the exact same thing whilst reading a thread on the relationships board yesterday.
All the women were offering such strong but kind support and most of them knew precisely what the poster was going through.
I had a really teary moment, when I thought back to that poor young thing I was. And how brave I had to be to get away - and the awful terrible things that he did to me.
I did leave. And eventually, when he found another victim, he left me alone. But I had seven years of hell, and left with three little ones and the clothes on our backs when he was at work. And then of course, the abuse became worse.
We had so little support, I couldn't tell anyone the full extent of what had happened. I was so bewildered and frightened, and naturally thought I was the only one as nobody else had ever talked about any kind of abuse like this. I didn't even know the word "abusive " in terms of a marriage.
Anyway, long-winded way of saying I absolutely know what you mean.

That's why I try to post on the relationships board when I'm on here, as I just hope that I can add one more voice to the chorus of support for the poster and hope she feels understood and it gives her courage.
Because I had nobody and MN would've saved me so much heartache.
Sometimes you read things on here which are frankly ignorant, cruel and goady. But on the rare occasions someone tries that on a relationship thread, the vipers absolutely take them out, which I love actually. That fierce protectiveness of the OP.
All power to you love. I really do hope you're in a much better place. We should be proud of ourselves for making it out on our own, I think Flowers

IfOnlyIdHadMNThen · 11/11/2021 21:13

Is it terrible to say that it’s a relief you didn’t have kids so you don’t still have a connection? @cherrysoup No not terrible at all, I'm very very thankful that we never had kids together, as sad as it was at the time!

OP posts:
IfOnlyIdHadMNThen · 11/11/2021 21:18

@Luckyelephant1

Glad you're out of this OP.

The masturbating bit...what the actual fuck??!?!?!?

Yep, utterly grim. Could never look at him in the same way after that Envy. Don't know why all the bad treatment didn't make me want him less, but then that was just an instant 'nope'.

OP posts:
IfOnlyIdHadMNThen · 11/11/2021 21:33

@Weatherwax13 Thank you and yes I'm now in a very good place, just reflecting back. Oh my goodness what a dreadful time you've been through, and with your children as well. Good on you for getting out all by yourself, that must have been so tough. I hope you are also safe and living a happier life?Flowers. Totally agree, MN is such a lifeline for someone who is in throes of a toxic/abusive relationship but hasn't realised they actually can talk about (either because they are scared or because they are still wanting to protect the reputation of their partner) - long may it continue.

OP posts:
OneFootintheRave · 11/11/2021 21:35

Oh god. The masturbating moment. How utterly grim. WTAF. So glad you are out of it. Well done.

IfOnlyIdHadMNThen · 11/11/2021 21:47

@Onefootintherave Isn't it just. That moment was a favour to me really though - no chance I could ever look back and wonder if leaving was the right thing after that Envy

OP posts:
Grandville · 11/11/2021 23:16

I had a bf from age 19-21 that MN would 100% have told me to leave. Luckily I managed as I met XDP and left for him. He was safe but not right for me and ended up as a cocklodging scenario due to his mental health issues he refused to get help for. I posted about him a few times and left him when I was 29. Luckily I never married him. I don't think my MN threads made me leave but that in conjunction with reading a lot of Relationships made me realise I was worth more.

MN then confirmed my decision a year or two later to get rid of another cocklodger in the making. Served to confirm I wasn't being a bitch to think what I thought.

Current BF doesn't live with me and won't for a while if ever. I'm perfectly happy alone so won't invite anyone to live with me unless they add to my happiness.u

IfOnlyIdHadMNThen · 12/11/2021 03:52

@Grandville I love that reading the relationship threads helped you realise your self-worth Smile. And that you've hung on to that.

I'm perfectly happy alone so won't invite anyone to live with me unless they add to my happiness - such a good ethos. So many of us (myself included) have jumped into coupling up/living together without truly considering how much it will actually bring happiness.

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