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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Dh meeting ex girlfriend behind my back - and what on earth do I do?

136 replies

Whowillsaveyoursoul · 18/01/2015 11:59

I know that dh is occasionally still in contact with the woman he dated (for ten years) before me. They split about two years before we met and he had a few casual relationships in between. Apparently they split because she wanted to get married and he didn't. She is now married to someone else and has two young children. By contact I mean that I knew that occasionally she emailed him to say happy birthday or vice versa, fine they were together a long time and I think split reasonably amicably.

Anyway I don't know why really, since I had no suspicions or anything particularly, but I was looking through dh's old phone (which he uses as an ipod as no longer has a sim in it) yesterday. I'm not really sure why I looked to be honest but there are texts going back to last July talking about arranging dates to meet. Then they have obviously met at least three times over the course of about six weeks. Then dh got his new phone so the texts end on the old phone and presumably start on the new one. There are also gaps in making the arrangements - e.g. What day's best for you? But then no reply and then a text just saying 'lovely to see you, my round next time looking forward to it' so they've obviously been in contact outside of texts too.

What has really pissed me off is in July I was having my second round of ivf and dh did not attend one single appointment with me because he was 'too busy' at work. However in this time and seemingly during work hours he has met her at least three times. It was dh who wanted me to have the second round of ivf too, he pressured me rather than the other way around.

What on earth can I do? What should I do? If the situation was reversed dh would go mad. Absolutely up the wall. But I'd never do it anyway.
I could do with getting hold of dh's new phone and seeing if there's anything more recent on there but who knows what he deletes anyway?

OP posts:
Fairenuff · 18/01/2015 12:28

Yes, have a look and see if the texting has become more frequent.

You could then ask him some questions and see if he responds honestly.

StillStayingClassySanDiego · 18/01/2015 12:33

I don't think it matters whether there are further texts on the new phone, he has already chosen to spend time with another woman over supporting you in your bid to become pregnant.

Viviennemary · 18/01/2015 12:33

If I could afford it I'd get a private detective to follow them and give a report. Then present DH with it. I suppose there's a chance it could all be innocent but I wouldn't bet on it.

Fairenuff · 18/01/2015 12:38

But he could say that he hasn't had any contact with her since then SanDiego when, for all OP knows, he could still be meeting her regularly. Surely she would want to know if that was the case?

ImperialBlether · 18/01/2015 12:38

Is this the kind of man you want to have a child with, though?

ilovesooty · 18/01/2015 12:40

I agree with clam
Viviennemary private detective? Really? Shock

StillStayingClassySanDiego · 18/01/2015 12:41

True Faire I wouldn't be able to keep quiet though, I'd be seething and so fucking hurt.

SaucyJack · 18/01/2015 12:43

I'm sorry OP. Thing is.... even if they're "only" meeting up- and that's probably all they're doing- it's not innocent if he's lying to you and hurting you in the process.

I sadly suspect you're saddled with an unflushable ex. You can confront him and put your foot down, but if he won't ever split from her emotionally you have to decide if you want to be third wheel in your own relationship.

Viviennemary · 18/01/2015 12:43

I know that's a bit over the top. Grin. But it would certainly stop the bluff and bluster.

Koalafications · 18/01/2015 12:44

Ok, I'll get flamed for saying this but you should read the messages in his new phone, IMO.

I would need to know if there was any hint that things had progressed before talking to him.

paperlace · 18/01/2015 12:47

It's not innocent. It really isn't. Sorry.

Look I personally woudln't confront him and 'just ask him' because then he will lie, minimise, cover his tracks and quite possibly turn it round on you, how dare you snoop, you're hormonal and stressed etc.

I'd snoop a lot more before confronting.

You don't need a private detective, just look at his phone and other devices and you will find something.

I'm only saying this to save you months of paranoia and just not knowing. Nobody (well very few people) will fess up to an affair when first confronted so you need more to go on.

Really sorry, how awful.

springalong · 18/01/2015 12:50

My ex was too busy to do family things but he had found enough time to take a new female work colleague out for dinner and drinks several times. That stage of the emotional affair lasted just a couple of months before it escalated to a sexual affair.

Sorry about your IVF not working - been there several times. It is a very stressful time for both parties. I do know that my ex had no one to talk to about it - support for the new dads is more limited. Perhaps he is talking to her, but it is the silence about the meetings that would worry me.

expatinscotland · 18/01/2015 12:51

There is zero way I'd be trying to have a child with this man until I found out exactly what was going on with his ex.

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 18/01/2015 12:51

This is really not ok. He's hiding it from you and the fact that he was meeting her while too busy to support you in ivf is appalling.

nannynome · 18/01/2015 12:51

I can totally sympathise, I am in a similar situation although I do know (a bit) about the contact. DH is friends with his ex of 10 years and since he only has a couple of friends I am between a rock and a hard place. I know it is just friendship (which from the tone of the messages you have seen it sounds like) but I still struggle with it immensely. I think the major difference is that your DH hasn't told you. My DH spent a while not telling me until I explained that this made me more suspicious and that his trying to "protect" me was making everything much worse. I don't have any answers for you as I still struggle with it as there is obviously history and an emotional attachment there that cannot be over ridden. Make sure you talk to him about it and how it makes you feel as DH just couldn't comprehend why it upset me since they are just friends, I had to explain it many times before he understood it was the history and emotional bond which I was struggling with, especially at the beginning when our relationship was new. I still struggle with the logical part of my brain knowing they are just friends and the jealous "girly side" having a massive issue with it. Honesty and openess is all I can suggest to at least make sure you don't start getting paranoid about it. I hope it as innocent as it seems and good luck.

KirjavaTheCat · 18/01/2015 12:52

I'd be looking through his current phone too.

I'm wondering if the winky faces allude to something more than getting in a round of drinks.

Fairenuff · 18/01/2015 12:53

He could have come to the ivf appointment. He could have worked through lunch and rescheduled things to make it happen. He didn't do that. Instead he chose to meet with her.

He wouldn't have done that unless there was more to it. He definitely wanted to see her more than he wanted to see you OP. Not innocent. When will you get a chance to check his phone do you think?

Rosienufc · 18/01/2015 13:03

I suspected DP (now DH) off EA not long after we moved in together. He was hiding his phone a lot, and it came to a head when I noticed a message flash up with shall we do lunch tomorrowxx on it. He showed me all texts and it was very much much one sided on her part and I suspect he was flattered by the attention. It took me a long time to get over not wanting to check his phone, but eventually I decided I had to trust him or what was the point. I laid it out that if he ever valued another woman's company over mine then he better have the decency to break things off with me first.
hugs to you OP - I remember well the deep sick feeling of betrayal in my stomach. I hope you get the answers you want.

UmizoomiThis · 18/01/2015 13:08

it takes two to cheat and there's a very good chance she, with two young children, is not interested in breaking up her marriage. So there very well could be nothing physical, but it may be because of her morals, not his.

Just the fact he chose to see anyone over attending your appointment would be a deal breaker, because it shows what he wants. Lack of an affair may just show what she wants.

I don't mean to be insensitive, but my first thought was that he's attempting to live out some fantasy where he thinks he can get old ex back plus her two young kids and somehow have an instant family. His ex may not even be aware of his fantasy and think she's just catching up with an old friend.

mrsminiverscharlady · 18/01/2015 13:11

For me it wouldn't matter much whether or not it is or isn't an innocent friendship. I'm not sure I could get over being told he was too busy to come to a scan but instead was meeting up with a friend. It wouldn't matter who it was: male, female, platonic, romantic. What the hell was he doing going out with someone else instead of supporting you and then LYING about it?! I think that might well be a deal breaker for me.

TheyLearnedFromBrian · 18/01/2015 13:12

I would leave him.

So much more that could be said, but it really does boil down to that in this instance.

Lying. Even if meeting as a friend, lying about contact with a significant ex. Deciding not to tell you, when as you say - he'd go mad if the situation were reversed. What does that tell you about this person's morality, loyalty? A lot. Just friends? Needed a shoulder while IVF was on? Doesn't matter one bit. Liar. Liar about the really important things. Don't let him tell you for one moment that this decision can be explained away. It can't.

Ok, so let's say they're not shagging and he wanted to stay friends but was 'afraid you'd go mad'. (that will very likely be one of the excuses). Well, does he think that's ok? Would it be ok if it were the other way around? (as you've said, no it bloody wouldn't be). Sooo - what that says is that he thinks that a good way to run a marriage is - if you want to do or be something that your spouse would find a. hurtful b. unfair c. disloyal - you don't discuss it and be honest with them, you lie to them. There's only one end point to that, and it's misery and divorce, or putting up and shutting up. Do you want to sign up for that? I wouldn't.

And the final potential excuse - he's found it soooooo hard dealing with infertility, your treatment, disappointment etc. the poor darling simply hasn't been able to handle it and needed somewhere private from you to vent/cry it out so that you wouldn't have to deal with his stress too. Fuck Right Off, baby! YOU are going through horrid treatment, the latter part of which he's PRESSURED you into having (fucking deal breaker alone - how absolutely shitty) he can't even be bothered to take the time off to support you (or maybe 'couldn't handle it', but that's not what he told you - ah, more lies) but its' fine and dandy to prioritise his feelings in dealing with it all. What an absolute selfish wanker of a man. More than that, who does he turn to - an ex. If he tries to say that one of the reasons was this, I would be out of the door before the sentence had finished... the thought of you going through something so personal, to be handled by you as a couple, but him turning to an ex partner to discuss it? Utter, utter dealbreaker. I know, if he says this, tell him you're glad to know that in the future, if you're upset about him not being able to get it up or that he wants a vasectomy or anything like that, that he'd be fine at you meeting up with an old boyfriend to discuss it - after all, another man would understand, yeah?

Anyway that's running ahead. Bottom line - you are married to a liar and a selfish, deceitful shit. I'm very sorry that your treatment has not worked but I would be looking at the fact that you don't currently have children to consider as one factor which makes getting away from this man easier. This is your warning - this is the husband he's choosing to be. Walk away.

BeeRayKay · 18/01/2015 13:12

How aer you now OP?

OVienna · 18/01/2015 13:15

I was also going to say your DH may have been having a freak out with the stress of IVF and went through a patch of 'what if' by meeting with his ex. Maybe even subconsciously. It's crap and I'd be very very unhappy he missed the appointments; he's been a knob. But it may not be physical. I would def try to find out more from his phone. It sounds like you guys need a long chat 100%.

ImperialBlether · 18/01/2015 13:26

But OVienna, he was pressurising the OP to have the treatment! If he was stressed about it, surely he wouldn't be doing that?

OVienna · 18/01/2015 13:33

I think it's still possible, not saying it's rational!