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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to feel uncomfortable with what's going on?

525 replies

Girlonatubetrain · 31/03/2017 13:31

Ok, so will try and keep it brief,

So the background
A woman and her family moved into our street a couple of years back and have since then, become very good family friends. Our DHs get on well, kids in same school, help each other with childcare etc.

End of last year, DF had an affair, her DH knows since the new year and they have been trying to save their marriage. She is unsure she wants to stay in her marriage but her DH loves her and they are trying to fix things (she has told me this week she is still unhappy to I’m guessing the marriage will end). The OM is out of the picture now, from what she says.

DF claims that the stress of her unhappy marriage and the resulting affair have caused her to have a nervous breakdown. She is on anti-depressants. I have spent many an hour listening to her being upset with her life in general and do regard her as a good friend, who needs people to lean on.

And my problem –
My DH has his own business very close to our homes. I work from home quite a bit. Over the last couple of weeks, whenever I’ve popped in to see DH when on a lunch break etc, she has been there. I have even offered to drop her home when I leave and she has said, she’ll hang back for a bit. It sounds ridiculous, but my DH even has her preferred brand of beverage there for when she visits, but not mine!

I spoke to DH about it last week as I feel its crossing a line and am very uncomfortable about it. DH reassures me there is nothing to worry about. He then started to tell me about how she’s just going through a mental rough patch and how she’d msgd him the other morning that she was struggling to get out of bed!

Everytime I pop in to visit, which is max twice a week and only for 10mins at a time, he makes out he is really busy and doesn’t really speak to me but just gets on with his work. So how can she always be there if he is ignoring her in the same way? So can only assume, when she’s there, he has time for her?

I get that she is having a hard time at the moment. I also understand she needs support and friends. It may be that she is just using him as an emotional crutch like shes used me the last few months. But . . . . I still feel that they are crossing a line and I am unhappy about it. To know they are spending so much time together (& that’s just the ones I know about) and now to know that they are PMing each other rather than the group chat with the 2 wives and 2 husbands on it, doesn’t sit well with me . . .

I love my DH and do trust him, but still feel very uncomfortable about the whole situation. DH and I have since fallen out since the start of this week because of this and are barely on speaking terms.

Im sure his reason would be I haven’t done anything wrong, I’m just supporting DF and DW is blowing it into something bigger.
But AIBU to feel this way? What do I do?

OP posts:
BonnyScotland · 31/03/2017 17:10

I would tell her in front of Your Husband and her Own Husband... she is to back the hell off from inappropriate texting and visiting of Your husband...

if she tries to laugh you off.. verbalise just how frequently she's popping in to see someone else's husband...

this is NOT ON

Waddlelikeapenguin · 31/03/2017 17:10

Sorry OP you are definitely NOT BU Flowers

chocatoo · 31/03/2017 17:10

She is not your friend - if she was, she would understand your concern and stop seeing your husband. I think you need to tell her that your friendship ends if you find evidence of any more chats/messages/visits where you are not present. You also have to make it abundantly clear to your husband that this is causing you to feel extremely upset and that if he cares about you, he has to end any one to one relationship with her. Good luck.

Pinkjellybeans · 31/03/2017 17:11

I might sound crazy but I would honestly consider having a camera somewhere so you can see for sure what's happening!!

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 31/03/2017 17:12

Huge amount of brass neck! I hope your DH listens to you when you lay it all out OP.

oldmum22 · 31/03/2017 17:12

This is terrible OP . It takes two to tango so in this instance the sooner you speak with him , lay the cards on the table and explain what he is about to lose,the sooner he comes to his senses. This woman is not a friend she is a predator and has no boundaries . Ask to see her messages to him, if he wont let you see then that speaks for itself. If you do see the messages, and all is above board, then a quick text from him saying he is going to be too busy from now on to see her and that he is sure OP(you) could help or put her in contact with trained counsellors might get through, and she will realise she has been rumbled. I would strongly advise distancing yourself and your family from her.

Holland00 · 31/03/2017 17:13

Exactly the same scenario with my STBXH and EXDF, even down to her favourite drinks in the fridge.

They were having an affair.

brickinitIam · 31/03/2017 17:14

You need to turn up expectantly
I can't believe you looked after her children while she got up close and friendly with your OH.
The brass neck of the woman.

From now on you need to turn up at every chance.
Does he work there in the evenings?
Can you turn up with evening?

brickinitIam · 31/03/2017 17:14

unexpectedly

maddening · 31/03/2017 17:17

I would try and secrete a hidden camera in his office when he wasn't looking!

magoria · 31/03/2017 17:17

Your H managed to meet you, attract & know you were attracted to him, persuade you to date, then marry, then have kids with him.

Unless he has been smacked over the head and has some kind of injury he knows he is spending massive amounts of time with another woman, is also constantly texting her and that you are unhappy about it.

He has basically told you he doesn't care about your feelings, he is there for her emotionally.

OhhBetty · 31/03/2017 17:18

I'm so sorry op but this is at the very minimum an emotional affair. It's up to you whether you tolerate that within your own marriage but an affair of any kind would be enough for me to end it or at least have time apart. I'd also end the friendship.

They've both completely disrespected you. Completely unacceptable from a friend and a husband. I wouldn’t want to be married to someone who thought it was ok to treat me like this.

DearMrDilkington · 31/03/2017 17:18

SHE is the one going to HIS work place.

To be fair, he could be inviting her. Neither are innocent in this, they both know what they're doing.

brickinitIam · 31/03/2017 17:20

Sounds as if he's enjoying the attention.
He's not exactly doing anything to discourage her.

brassbrass · 31/03/2017 17:23

I'd not waste time on her she clearly has problems. But I'd lose my shit with DH for not behaving more appropriately and not respecting my feelings to begin with.

If I said I'm uncomfortable I'd expect it to stop at that very point. End of. You really need to thrash it out with him.

Just saw you're from the Asian community so he must know how inappropriate this would look. Ask him how he would feel if your roles were switched and you were continuing to entertain some bloke he felt was crossing the line despite him voicing his disapproval.

IloveBanff · 31/03/2017 17:24

He's not exactly doing anything to discourage her.

I can just imagine him telling her he's got her favourite drink in. If that's not an invitation I don't know what is.

brassbrass · 31/03/2017 17:25

and you need to see the whatsapp messages between them

Petal02 · 31/03/2017 17:25

OP - this needs nipping in the bud immediately

GutInstinct · 31/03/2017 17:26

OP, they're having an affair. They're acting like love's young dream, her at his office for as many hours as she can manage, and him pandering to her by getting in her favourite drink etc. They're acting as infatuated teenagers would be, if he genuinely thought she was a nutter he would be telling you that she was hanging out there every day talking about her problems, but instead he's allowing her to be there every day, getting in her favourite drinks so she knows she's welcome and wanted, and messaging her on the quiet.

If she actually wanted to fix her marriage she would be being totally transparent with her DH, and more to the point, if she genuinely regretted the affair, and having once fallen for the signs which put women into that situation in the first place, she wouldn't be putting herself in situations where she could potentially fall for someone and end up back in an affair.

How do I know? Because I had an affair which ended my marriage. The difference with me is that I didn't want to continue the marriage and I was married to an emotionally abusive man so even when the affair ended I knew I didn't want to be with OM but didn't want to save my marriage either.

But the affair is one of the most regrettable things I have ever done, and I can hand on heart state that I would never, ever do it again. But with that in mind I also would never, ever put myself into a situation where I could end up falling for someone inappropriate.

I am now in a relationship with a wonderful man, but even years on I still carry the fear that I could still be considered untrustworthy because of what I had done in the past. I am totally transparent with my now partner. My life is an open book to him, he doesn't demand it, it just is. I still have male friends, but my partner knows them as well, and even if I ever do meet up with them alone he still knows about it, why wouldn't he?

Your DH is playing you for a fool. He thinks that by telling you there's nothing going on you'll believe him. The time for talking about your insecurities is over, you need to get tough now. Tell him that you know that he's having an affair with her and that the marriage is over. Then go round to her house and tell her that your DH is now free to be with her because you know about their affair and your marriage is over. So she's free to end her marriage as she's been telling your DH she will do. And do it in front of her husband.

Neither of them is innocent here. Stop looking for answers, start acting as if you have the answers. While you're asking questions they can gaslight, play games, pretend that you're the one in the wrong. If you tell them that you know everything and that they're now free to be together you will be putting them on the back foot because they think that they're hiding in the open.

Whatever happens from here on the friendship is over between all of you, but if your DH wants your marriage to survive, then he will have to work hard to get it back. But I suspect that he will walk away with your friend, sorry.

brassbrass · 31/03/2017 17:30

Shock I missed the favourite drink bit!

So many dodgy signs here alarms bells well and truly going off:

fav drink
messaging each other outside the group chat
she's sees him pretty much every day
she was hiding on one of the occasions
he hasn't taken a step back after your concerns
and the fucking selfie (what a prize bitch!!!)

TheGirlWithAPrince · 31/03/2017 17:30

im sorry but if my partner did this i would LTB, Hes not so stupid as to let a vulnerable obviously run down woman latch on to him like that. She probably likes the attention he is giving her and thats not good. as that saying goes A Shoulder To Cry On Becomes A Dick To Ride On Sorry but its true

BunnyChickChocolateEgg · 31/03/2017 17:30

You mention that gossip is rife in the community - are other people likely to see that she's going there so much? I know its not the main issue, but it'd really bug me if my DH was behaving in a way which could lead to people thinking there's an affair, even if he hasn't done anything. It's naive, and disrespectful to you, for him to let this continue.
If she needs so much support, she could do with professional counselling, attaching herself to one man after another (which he is enabling, by not drawing a line) is not helping her solve her issues.

Teabagtits · 31/03/2017 17:35

OP you're more patient than I am. I'd have been leaving work early to confront one or both of them.

Blossomdeary · 31/03/2017 17:38

I would guess that he is flattered by her attention - he is after all only human. As are you - and you are NBU to find this uncomfortable.

Both he and she kn w that and she is not much of a friend to carry on with this........and he is out of order not to deal with it appropriately.

She sounds like poison - a manipulative woman, for whom any man is fair game. No wonder her marriage is collapsing.

TBH I do not know what you can do - discussing it with OH seems to alienate him and cause arguments; ignoring it is very hard.

Girlonatubetrain · 31/03/2017 17:51

I've cancelled my plans for tonight. He was going to come home early so I could go (wonderful DH as ever!)
so hes home and having dinner with the kids.

i've told him I'm not going tonight as we need to talk -
Lots of valuable advice here, so currently trying to make some sensible notes

I am naturally a very teary person so need to have my list to work through, even if it'll be in floods of tears
any suggestions gladly welcome

ps I'm not weak, just cry tooooooooo easily, especially when my DH, my best friend in the entire world, is in front of me
just naturally let my guard down
not a good start!

OP posts:
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