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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Emotional Affair? What to do?

120 replies

mrneedyone · 27/01/2014 17:53

My wife began seeing her personal trainer outside the gym. I cheated on her almost 4 years ago. I say this just to put this in perspective. She sometimes still have emotional setbacks because of my unfaithfullness. My situation was not the norm though. I was out of the country on military duty (reserve). I was called home because my mother was deathly ill...long story short, my mother died. I had to preach her funeral because I could give no other man that honor...this cause me to repress all my emotions. Afterward I couldn't face the world so i returned to my military duty. I broke down while there, and what I now see as an emotional affair came full bloom during my grieving and I found myself in a position conducive to sex while I was weak and that's exactly what happened. I left the country, but continued the emotinal affair, waiting for it to die because i didn't want to keep her hanging on to false hopes. We chatted on FB periodically and yahoo messenger. My wife found the communication on my phone and I was completely exposed.

So, she still hurt sometimes. Since then I've completely regained her trust (I think) and her forgiveness. Yet, in a moment of sadness she allowed herself to be comforted by her personal trainer. This friendship, somehow found its way outside of the gym. I knew nothing about it until i began to smell smoke on her. Finally after i questioned her on the smoke, she admitted that she's been spending time with him, that he's her friend, that she has been in his apartment alone with him, that she has spent the many times she was late returning from the gym at his apartment with him and his girlfriend or him alone, in spite of my difiance, she insists on maintaining and nourishing this relationship. She tries to justify it and rationalize it based on my physical affair and my ministry to a suicidal teen who would call me openly and who i hid no communication from her initially. However when the kid became suicidal again, I began allowing short calls during the time i was home and i spoke with her in my wife's presence.

Each time i confront my wife on her behavior she tries to rationalize and explain it away. She has spent one ENTIRE day (dawn to dusk) at his apartment with him and his girlfriend drinking without so much as telling me where she was until she had been gone 7hrs. The next Sat, she left at 8:30ish pm and returned about 4am, again, not asking, consulting, advising in the least. She has done a photo shoot of him alone in a location they hiked to, yes-without asking me if it was ok...just telling me that she was going to do it (never showed me the photos). Last night she left angry because one of my former students texted me commenting on Turabian format...this student has aroused my wife's suspicion simply because she's female and has asked for my guidance, not because i've done anything or have spent any quality time with her. I didn't reply to the text and I told my wife what the text was and who it was from.

She took that as an opportunity to leave and she didn't return until after 4am. Again, she admits being over to HIS apartment.

I need to know if I'm crazy? She doesn't want to do any form of counseling...says that she loves him as a friend but is not in love with him. I read her texts (she allowed, but said she would never do it again and refuses to grant me access to any of her media) in one of the texts he called her luv. She defends him, but gives me hell, and say that I'm giving her hell, because I want to know what's going on.

after many argumental requests. She's never told me where he lives nor has she given me his phone number and I 've requested them all. Am I crazy or is this a very far gone emotional affair.

I've told her to end it and that i don't want him in our lives. I've told her that as her husband i have a right to put boundaries in her relationship with other men...she disagrees. Says she's grown and won't be controlled and can pick her own friends. I don't want to leave my wife and I truly don't know what to do. I've requested all access to her media, and i've insisted on therapy...even if it's just us using a program i downloaded from marriage busters, all with resistance. Please help.

OP posts:
MOTU · 27/01/2014 18:37

What she's doing doesn't sous like an emotional affair-she spends time with his girlfriend too? I think your residual guilt is being projected onto her. That said, it doesn't sound like your relationship is in great shape so having a conversation about what you both want seems like the next step an then therapy if you both want to save it. Hth

Quinteszilla · 27/01/2014 18:42

What sort of "ministry" and mentoring do you do to teenagers and women, as an army soldier?

It seems to me that your wife is sharing you with lots of people, and that you have actually left your marriage years ago.

She is now distancing herself.

I think you need to be honest as to what is going on. Do you have children?

EchoDragon · 27/01/2014 18:44

Hmm so it's ok for you to be in contact with all these women but you have to vet you wife's friends.

Seems to me the issues are with you more than her. You do what you're not happy for her to do.

BuggerLumpsAnnoyed · 27/01/2014 18:45

You do sound pretty controlling. She probably goes there for a break. You have no right to tell her who she should be friends with. Just because you had an affair doesn't mean she is. That doesn't mean she isn't. No one knows the answer to that but her. Your relationship sounds pretty unhealthy.

phantomnamechanger · 27/01/2014 18:46

YABU
what are you doing to make your wife want to love and forgive and trust you and spend time with you? If you want the marriage to last, you need to be nicer and work harder at it, you sound like a domineering bully TBH - maybe this is her way of telling you she does not want to be around you.

MeepMeepVrooooom · 27/01/2014 18:46

It doesn't sound like an emotional affair to be honest...

It's not to say what she is doing is fair but I wouldn't say it is an emotional affair.

JoinYourPlayfellows · 27/01/2014 18:47

I hope she is shagging him.

She deserves something to keep her happy given the shitty way you've been treating her for years.

AspieLass · 27/01/2014 18:48

TBH with you - we are all responsible for our own actions - you chose to use your mothers death as a mask for your whoring about. Please dont attempt to assuage your guilt by claiming extenuating circumstances

Neither of you trust each other - time to call it quits

MaidOfStars · 27/01/2014 18:51

I've told her that as her husband i have a right to put boundaries in her relationship with other men...

Come again?

As your wife, she agreed her own boundaries, as you did when you became her husband. Neither of you puts those boundaries on the other.

My first instinct is: she's punishing you. I suspect many would think it her right to do so. However, I wouldn't say it's a conscious thing, necessarily. It may be nothing more than a 'Fuck it, how dare he tell me what to do', which doesn't mean she's doing anything wrong, just rebelling against your desire to control what she does.

capsium · 27/01/2014 18:53

Can you not find a way to socialise as a couple?

This man has a girl friend so it is feasible you could invite them round for dinner, maybe with some other friends. If you were all friendly perhaps there would be less suspicion and you'd get chance to spend more time with your wife. Find some common interests. Can you not go hiking, to the gym, running, cycling etc with her?

And say sorry about being a bit jealous and possessive. (Even if there were reasons for this). This behaviour will make her feel claustrophobic, if you're not careful. Saying sorry and telling you love her and are just worried will help you move forward.

MeepMeepVrooooom · 27/01/2014 18:56

Can I ask OP you say you don't want to leave your wife. Have you asked her how she is feeling about your relationship or what she wants?

You may not want to leave but maybe she does. I'm sorry if that's hurtful but I really do think you need to sit down with your wife and have an adult conversation about your relationship. Not about her friendship with this man necessarily.

BuggerLumpsAnnoyed · 27/01/2014 18:57

capsium im just going to assume she wont want her DH there. Not because shes having an affair but these are her friends away from her DH. I think shes entitled to have that.

VinoTime · 27/01/2014 18:57

As her husband you have a right to fudge all. You're her partner, not her keeper. Jeez. You sound controlling. No wonder she's out till 4am, the poor woman sounds like she needs a few hours peace!

Just because you had an affair doesn't mean she will. You're projecting your guilt onto her and she will eventually snap if you don't back off. She has a right to have friendships. Why does it matter if these friendships are with men? Would you blink twice if she was out having fun with a female friend? Somehow, I don't think so...

gordyslovesheep · 27/01/2014 18:59

maybe she enjoys the freedom she has round at his

capsium · 27/01/2014 19:00

Being friendly is worth a try though. Doing things together might help the marriage. Even just having some common interests. Got to be more fun than arguing and worrying about someone's absences.

tigermoll · 27/01/2014 19:01

Maybe your wife's emotional needs also have 'come to full bloom' and she has 'found herself in a position conducive to sex' as well?

Don't worry though, I expect she's only keeping in contact with him because she's just 'waiting for it to die' in order that her gym friend doesn't 'keep hanging on to false hopes'.

In the meantime, I'd keep insisting on your rights to control her as a husband and telling her she needs to do therapy and a full media share.

jacks365 · 27/01/2014 19:01

LTB she'll be much happier without such a controlling person in her life

curiousuze · 27/01/2014 19:01

You sound like my ex. Affairs all over the place (not that I knew about them till I chucked him out) but policed my every move with the opposite sex. Even childhood friends.

I'd say your relationship has come to a natural end.

capsium · 27/01/2014 19:01

OP needs to start being nice though...

BasicFish · 27/01/2014 19:04

"I found myself in a position conducive to sex"
Grin

Sorry. But Grin

MistressDeeCee · 27/01/2014 19:06

I find just some of the advice on here disturbing, and feel OP would be given different advice if he were a woman worried about her husband having an affair, possibly an EA. OP - you were wrong to have an affair years ago but as your DW stayed with you, I presume you must have talked it through and forgiveness came out of that. But if not and there is still hurt stemming from that, then perhaps your DW feels its unresolved and the explanations you gave her, arent enough to put her mind at rest. If you dont want to leave then its time to have that talk - she is spending quality time with another man and it sounds all too convenient that his girlfriend apparently is there, and doesnt mind. If you have to talk through what you did to harm the relationship years ago then so be it..but either way you cant continue and the 2 of you need some blunt, serious talking and then to make a decision as to where you go from here

Quinteszilla · 27/01/2014 19:13

That is just your assumption Mistress, not reality of how things work around here.

Uptheanty · 27/01/2014 19:17

What a self righteous twat you are.

BrownSauceSandwich · 27/01/2014 19:32

BasicFish Grin

OP, I don't know whether you've always thought it a spouse's right to choose his/her other half's friends/access their phone records, but it's really not. I think your infidelity has corrupted your perception of a healthy relationship.

I think if you both want to make your marriage work, you do need some relationship counselling. But keep in mind that you need to both be committed to a common goal if it's to make a difference. And I think you need to look closer to home, for the problem, than the personal trainer.

mrneedyone · 27/01/2014 19:42

Thanks for your reply. I think there's a possibility that I may be projecting, however, she only began seeing him with his girlfriend about 3 months into the affair. Then only so that they can start seeing each other openly at his apartment. I'm reasonable and I don't think I'm being unreasonable to expect transparency in this situation. Especially after being completely disregarded and lied to on numerous occasions.

OP posts: