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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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DH has hidden some heavy stuff...AIBU to want to separate?

829 replies

mummymalta · 29/05/2016 22:53

3 weeks ago DH revealed some very personal things which I feel I should have known before we got married. To be honest, we are all entitled to secrets and personal experiences I suppose, but where do you draw the line?

DH and I have been together for 10 years and married for 7. He's my best friend, I feel like I knew and loved him so much. Affirming these things is very strange to me. We were solid.

A "friend" of DH from the country he used to live in came to a party of a mutual friend of ours. Lets call him Bob. I don't know Bob, DH has only mentioned him briefly and my friend knows him but not well. He came with my friends brother who he is sort of close to. DH didn't want to come to the party (long day) and didn't know Bob would be there. I kissed the kids and ran out the house desperate for freedom on a friday night went to the party.

Get to the party and was enjoying child free time when my friends brother came over to say hi with Bob. "Bob you haven't met DH's wife have you? it's been about 12 years right? "
Bob: "Holy shit - you know I barely remember those days"
He then made a slick comment about him and DH being on coke half the time. I really cant remember what he said verbatim but I sort of nervously laughed (was shocked and he was drunk) and excused myself.

Naturally went home and curiously prodded DH the next morning in bed who waffled about trying it a couple of times and said Bob was a royal prick with a big bouth. I was uneasy that he didn't tell me but nothing divorce worthy. I ask why he didn't tell me and prodded as you do (smelled a rat, wife spidey sense) and then he told me:

He had a coke habit when he went to live abroad in his early twenties right before I met him. He said it was just a bit of fun and just when it started getting a bit out of control he met a girl who he really loved. They had a real relationship and spent a year getting high. Only god knows how he kept his job, but of course drug addiction doesn't necessarily have a face. Anyway she had previously had a heroin addiction and they started doing heavier stuff. He freaked out and ended it. She stopped picking up her mobile and he went to check on her she's dead in flat. Huge drama with her family/ police / drug debt I wont get into it but its fucking insane. He comes home tells no one traumatised. We meet about a year and a half later.

I didnt sense one thing - he spoke of his couple of years abroad quite normally but rarely looking back. I thought nothing of it why would I?

I'm still in shock, not just from the incident, but of the fact that he didn't tell me. I was so shocked that I just said he needs to give me time to digest it. We haven't spoken about it since because I've just shut down. I don't know what's wrong with me - I feel nothing. It's like he's a stranger now. We had a very happy and passionate marriage. Such a great banter affection. Even the kids sense something is off. He keeps trying to talk about it but i don't even hear a word he's saying. I just keep on thinking who are you?

AIBU to want to separate for a bit? I have had no time to digest this?! He said lets send the kids to their nans for half term and deal with this so off they go tomorrow.

OP posts:
marelyrocks · 02/06/2016 14:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MerryMarigold · 02/06/2016 15:24

Mummy, in my opinion you do need to see an impartial counsellor. They will help you process this rather than pretending it's not happening. I think your Dh needs to as well, but maybe not ready for it. Sweeping it under the carpet will come back to bite you both in the long run, and your marriage will suffer. It takes a lot of courage, but you can do it.

ittakes2 · 02/06/2017 10:53

I get why you are upset but logically when was he meant to tell you about this? If he has changed does he not have the right to leave his past behind and enjoy his life? If he'd told you when he first met you, it might have been too much information, and I guess once he started enjoying his relationship with you, he didn't want to go back to the past. You said yourself he was traumatised and hid it from everyone at the time. If you need space, you need space and not giving yourself space might be counterproductive. But try and remind yourself of the specialness of your relationship and how he treats you - that is real and something to base a future on and it's not going to make you or anyone happy focusing on the past. Also consider that it's likely that this traumatic experience for him has made him value his life and really appreciate what he has now with you. Maybe that's why your relationship is so special. Good luck.

ohfourfoxache · 02/06/2017 10:55

ZOMBIE THREAD ALERT

Ikillallplants · 02/06/2017 10:55

Zombie! !

Groupie123 · 02/06/2017 11:01

There are things my DH knows nothing about. One of them is that my first boyfriend, the boy I was with from 10-20 who killed himself. I didn't tell him because I didn't want to relive those memories and frankly it's none of his business.

Appreciate you're shocked but you sound really immature here. So he had a coke habit when he was a kid, he kicked it. He's been a good husband for the past 10 years. Stop being so sanctimonious Hmm

Blodplod · 02/06/2017 11:02

How on earth do people find these old threads to post on in the first place? Seriously I'm intrigued! I mean if you're searching in a certain category you'd have to go back pages and pages to find one that's a year old, wouldn't the first thing you'd do is look at the date of you've gone back say 20 pages of threads? Weird..

finnthepink · 02/06/2017 11:14

It's the thread's 1-year anniversary! Hmm

LisaMed1 · 02/06/2017 11:16

ZOMBIE!

And it nearly caught me because it's almost exactly a year since the thread started, so I see 2 June 2016 and I'm lulled into false security.

Mildly fed up with having to check the date of threads these days.

blankface · 02/06/2017 11:19

ZOMBIE
THREAD
ZOMBIE
THREAD
ZOMBIE
THREAD
ZOMBIE
THREAD

icanteven · 02/06/2017 11:19

To be fair to the person who resurrected it, it's the 2nd of June - the same date as the last post, just a year on.

CauliflowerSqueeze · 02/06/2017 11:34

OP I think you have very good instincts and you are right to question. On balance I would say your pretty blissful 7 years of marriage with him not touching a drop of alcohol and having never lost his temper should trump the utter fuck up from his year abroad. But I can understand you wanting some space to think.

Mumofone1972 · 02/06/2017 11:42

Married a stranger and going insane. (literally) (212 Posts)

Add message | Report | Message poster
mummymalta Tue 07-Jun-16 06:26:39

same bloody post a year ago!

Sarikiz · 15/08/2017 20:29

OP you come across as so uptight. I think you are totally over reacting.
This happened before DH met you and you have had 10 good years.
DH has not comitted a crime, been in prison nor done irreperable harm to someone. So what he took a year out and had a girlfriend.
Get a grip.

Your DH did not commit a crime or cause irreperable harm to some onde

Grooves · 17/08/2017 21:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WineAndTiramisu · 17/08/2017 22:07

zombie thread alert

Flimp · 17/08/2017 22:16

FFS guys

ZOMBIE ZOMBIE ZOMBIE ZOMBIE ZOMBIE ZOMBIE ZOMBIE ZOMBIE

Juicyfruitloop · 17/08/2017 22:25

SECOND ZOMBIE TODAY

TheFickleFingerOfFate · 02/11/2017 20:30

I guess, like all secrets, he hid it because he was a/ashamed, b/ frightened that you'd go off the deep end, and c/ traumatised.
You say you have a wonderful relationship now, so give him a pass this one time, get tested for any std's and forgive him for not telling you. A few days ago there was a letter from a writer wondering whether she should tell her husband that she'd had a previous abortion, and the general advice was it's your business, it happened before you met and everyone is entitled to put their past behind them. Yes, it's surprising information, but digest it, give him a break and get on with your lives. Don't fall into the trap of leaving him as soon as you know he was not always the perfect guy you know and love.

SloanePeterson · 02/11/2017 20:33

Zombie thread guys. How do these things get resurrected?

Telstar99 · 02/11/2017 20:34

Zombie thread keeps resurfacing. WTF? Confused

TheCatsMother99 · 02/11/2017 20:38

Started reading, thought I recognised it then... bham ZOMBIE.

Seriously.... I want to know how these zombie threads get dragged up?!

gamerchick · 02/11/2017 20:38

I’m so glad this is a zombie because I was having a well freaky de ja vu for a bit Grin

Itsonkyme · 02/11/2017 20:49

You are bang out of order!
Everyone is entitled to keep bad memories locked away. I have some things from my past that are no-ones business but mine.
And for you to feel detached from him and wanting a separation makes me think that you don't love him very much.

Allthewaves · 02/11/2017 21:08

ZOMBIE THREAD

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