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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want to see or speak to her again?

297 replies

froofroomcgoo · 22/04/2017 20:43

Been wanting to write this for a while but didn't have the guts. This could be loooong.

My BF is one of DH's BF. They met at uni, I met her about 3 months after he did. I was her maid of honor, she mine. DH was an usher at her wedding, we see each other most weeks. Or did.

I got pregnant shortly after getting married. She requires an operation before she can have children (well, it's advised the operation is before pregnancy as pregnancy could make her condition worse) she doesn't want the operation so has put it off until recently when she has had to organise it. She isn't sure she wants kids at all, wants to foster ASD children.

She was the first person we told I was pregnant. She was excited and happy for us, continued to see her regularly. Then baby came. I had mild postnatal depression, I was struggling with the physical changes to my body, I had a birth injury causing on going issues and my sex life was non-existent which along with my mood was causing issues in my relationship. I confided in her. DS was a velcro baby, bottle refuser and terrible, terrible sleeper. I was miserable, sleep deprived and depressed.

I feel that as a good friend she should have suggested nights in round mine, shopping trips or lunch out, nights round her with DS coming with me, walks in the park etc (which I did suggest to her). I feel she should have hugged me, listened to me, told me to buck up. I did ask about her life and the things important to her etc, it wasn't one sided.

Instead, she went out drinking and dancing with DH, invited him to child-unfriendly things, invited him to lunch, the park, shopping, coffee with DS (under the guise of giving me a break).

We used to all do a hobby together, which I can't do due to my birth injury. She'd invite DH to do that, knowing how upset it made me, she'd invite him to gigs, trips away.

DH would always ask me before saying yes or no, and would sometimes say no anyway as he knew I was struggling, but I felt bad asking him not to go (I know now I should have said when I wasn't happy.

She'd also do things such as when we were round hers, put music on and give DH drinks and start dancing, then say "I really want to go out dancing but I bet froo won't let you" within earshot of me.

It all came to a head when DS was about 8 months when DH and her were going away for an event. DH informed me he'd book a twin room (we're pretty broke) or take an airbed in a cheapo hotel. I found out the night before that he's booked a naice hotel with 4 poster bed (though it was cheap!) we had a massive row and they didn't go.

We discussed it afterwards and DH did admit that he and DF had been getting close, he's been confiding in her and enjoyed spending time with her and could see it wouldn't take much for him to start having inappropriate feelings for her. He admitted his behaviour had been out of order and we discussed the issues in our relationship and are working on those.

DH maintains that DF didn't know about the hotel and I shouldn't blame her. I pointed out all the issues above and told him I felt she had been a poor friend to me, and had been undermining our relationship by listening to me about how I felt and things that were going wrong and then using them to get close to DH. DH admitted that he hadn't seen it that way but could see my point and that that meant she wasn't a good friend to him either.

Unfortunately she is part of a wider close friendship group, making it very hard to cut her off completely. I've seen her maybe 6 times since this incident. I'm polite but cool. The rest of group don't know about any of this. DH is still maintaining a friendship with her, though made the decision himself not to see her alone at all, or without me where possible.

He feels over time I should forgive her and move on. I don't want to. There is history of her doing similar things and this is just the final straw. I don't want her in my life. It's been about 9 months now.

DH and I have been working through things and things have been pretty good. I haven't fully decided if I can get over what he did, I do believe it to be an emotional affair and I'm not sure I can forgive him, but I'm trying.

AIBU to never want too see her again? And certainly not consider her a friend?

I think we're doing well and then I find that last night, when out with work and drunk, he text her. He clearly wanted to see her (I don't know what he text, just her response of "I'm not out tonight" when it flashed up on his phone screen.) and know I'm thinking does he still have feelings for her?

I hate this!

OP posts:
CherriesInTheSnow · 23/04/2017 18:26

Absolutely agree with you froo, well done for being able to keep your head and especially for putting your child first.

CherriesInTheSnow · 23/04/2017 18:28

So often here, responding feels like a pointless waste of time.

The irony Grin

I actually think the thread has been pretty useful for the OP, I might be wrong but I don't know if she had fully considered exactly how shitty her DH's behaviour has been, or not the full extent of it at least.

Just because she isn't full of drama and is not exclaiming she's indeed going to LTB this very afternoon does not make this a pointless post.

user1489179512 · 23/04/2017 18:31

Hmmmmm. This will be another thread where people give advice but the OP disregards much of it quite loftily. Then she will vanish. They all do.

TitaniasCloset · 23/04/2017 18:31

Apart from giving someone a kidney, giving birth to a child is the greatest gift you can give another human being. Ypu risk your health, you gi through severe pain and your body abd your life change forever.The lack of respect and gratitude so many men show is appalling.

Op your dh is disgusting, just another overgrown man child. Your ex friend is also vile. To be honest they both make me sick.

How you choose to handle it is your business. I would tell her husband and the rest of the friend group. But maybe its not worth doing that, the other friends probably already know. I also think that they were shagging.

user1489179512 · 23/04/2017 18:32

CherriesInTheSnow
Are you a mind reader too?

CherriesInTheSnow · 23/04/2017 18:34
Confused

Erm, what?? I have seen a few posters say how they think the OP has started to realise based on the comments that she is coming to terms with her DH's role in this, based on her replies.

There's no need to be a dick is there Hmm

babyinarms · 23/04/2017 18:37

Oh op what a horrible predicament ! You're dh is mainly at fault here, I know it's hard to swallow but he's flirting, texting, booking 4 poster beds , are u sure it hasn't gone any further ?
She's no friend of yours ! I had a friend like that, who flirted no stop with dh and actually didn't talk to me for 6 months ( we were flat mates at the time) ....when I confronted her, she openly said she was jealous of me and dp ( we weren't married at the time) and she wanted someone just like him. We made up, but we're never the same. We are amicable but that's it. I realised she was trying to steal him from me !
She's not worth your time and dh is unreasonable to expect u to give her any of yours !
My dp took a while to realise what was happening and initially though the I was just jealous but he did see it ( in the end) and backed away. I know it was all one sided in my experience but it doesn't sound all one sided in yours, he need to cut ties with her or he risks losing u !

froofroomcgoo · 23/04/2017 18:52

Thing is, this has turned into a thread about what I'm going to do with DH, which I'd already planned when i found her message.

I wrote the thread specifically asking whether i was unreasonable to not want anything to with friend. I understand why everyone has turned it round to DH but i already knew what a shit bag he's been and turns out is still being and i had a plan in place to deal with that (talking to him tonight, possibly issuing an ultimatum, suggesting trial separation) even such as having checked entitled to, gov.uk, custody laws, maintenance and asking my dad for money should i need it (on stand by for deposit). I've looked at possible rental places and checked out the redemption figure for our mortgage. I'm not an idiot. I didn't ask for advice on DH because i already knew what to do with DH!

OP posts:
SirVixofVixHall · 23/04/2017 18:53

OP actually I think you've been far to "reasonable". It doesn't always get you what you want in the long run, no. Sometimes it just gets you trampled on and taken for granted. Your husband has been far more than foolish. It seems extremely likely that he was sleeping with a long standing "friend" of you both, while you were recovering from giving birth. Nice. I also wonder if they have simply rekindled a friends with benefits type thing that then became more serious as she clearly really wants him and is jealous of, and doesn't like, you. There is a very fine line between " always reasonable" and "doormat", and he is treating you like the latter.

UrbanYokel · 23/04/2017 18:54

You are definitely not unreasonable to not want anything to do with your so called friend.

froofroomcgoo · 23/04/2017 18:54

user i don't disappear from threads, i almost invariably give a follow up, even months later depending on the situation.

OP posts:
froofroomcgoo · 23/04/2017 18:56

I'm about to do bedtime and then have the talk, so i will be disappearing for a bit.

OP posts:
HiggeldyPiggeldy · 23/04/2017 19:02

these are two people who should have been supporting you through your difficult time, instead they both choose to try dump you alone ill and will a new baby while they continue a care free life. Your husband made the decision to be with you in sickness and health and failed at the first hurdle, you gave him another chance and he has taken the piss and betrayed you and they trust you had in him and one it again, dont give him another chance.
For all those saying that the other woman should not get the blame, he is not just any ow, she was the op's best friend, some of my friends know more about me than my partner that is how close we are so imo she is just vile and skanky and should shoulder a lot of the blame.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!

good luck with what ever you decide op neither path in front of you will be easy, I know which one I would take

HiggeldyPiggeldy · 23/04/2017 19:04

ton answer the question yanbu to not want to see this vile woman again

KateDaniels2 · 23/04/2017 19:08

I'll say what i said before.

If your dh refuses to cut contact with her and you stay with dh.....she will always be in your life. It may not be unreasonable to not want contact with her, but its unrealistic.

To never see her again you need to leave your friendship group, your dh needs to do the same or you need to leave him.

And again, its odd to me that you can try and move on with dh (who i think carries more blame) but can not stand to even see her.

Msqueen33 · 23/04/2017 19:09

You need to ask how you feel about your friend. Is she a kind and good person whose just a bit dense? Or is she not a great friend? If you don't feel she's a good friend I'd back away from her. Stop confiding in her and cut her loose. Be civil if you have to see each other socially if you're part of the same group but personally for me I'd feel the trust and friendship had gone.!

Madwoman5 · 23/04/2017 19:19

You made a mistake, trusting her to behave with integrity. Your husband stepped over the line with his friendship with her. You stopped it going further but only just. No doubt you have learned to be more selective next time. Sit him down and ask him how he would feel if roles were reversed. Would he feel happy with this? Whilst he turns to her whether pissed or not, this is absolutely not acceptable to you. I would be inclined to step back from this group until you can trust him not to reoffend. He has a choice, give you no reason for concern or go.

Bambamrubblesmum · 23/04/2017 19:25

I think you should drop kick her out of your life in answer to your question.

To do that to a friend in such a calculated way shows a lot of venom towards you underneath. For whatever reason she's been your frenemy for years, she's now just come out into the open.

The whole 'she's just carrying on being herself' line means that she's always been a self serving twat. It just took you a while to see the real person underneath.

Consider her a Dorian Grey that's been uncovered.

babyinarms · 23/04/2017 19:42

Op good luck with the talk FlowersFlowers. UANBU .... I would want to cut all ties with her too !

user1489179512 · 23/04/2017 19:44

CherriesInTheSnow

Re. your delightful mode of expression: oh dear.

MrsTwix · 23/04/2017 19:54

So to get back to your original question, she isn't really your friend, she is a friend of your husband. Even before all this happened, she was his friend and then you came along.

Your husband is being unreasonable if he thinks it's ok to still be in touch with her at the same time as working on your marriage.

The only way working on your marriage could succeed at present is for neither of you to be in touch with her at the present time.

So yes, he is being unreasonable to expect you to be friends with her. Whether you forgive her or not isn't relevant, but it sounds like he wants you to forgive her so he can still have her in his life. This isn't acceptable if the 2 of you stay together.

As for her ending up as your child's step mum, well if it happens you will have to make the best of it. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if she doesn't actually want the hassle of your husband full time, or that she won't want to be a step mum from what you've said. It sounds to be like she was happy to encourage him, flirt with him and have fun with him, but not that she wants a proper relationship with him.

CherriesInTheSnow · 23/04/2017 19:56

user

I can spin a beautiful turn of phrase should the occasion call for it.

You were being a dick, plain and simple. No need to dress it up.

PurpleMinionMummy · 23/04/2017 20:06

Neither of you can consider her a friend. If your husband needs to stay in touch with her, over your marriage, that says it all really. Try reading not just friends by shirley glass.

Tulipsaregold · 23/04/2017 20:13

Bless you op - Flowers

User - Fuck off, so what if ops go away - it doesn't mean anything ....it doesnt mean its been pointless or useless at all. It just means perhaps they have not come back for a beating. Hmm

zeezeek · 23/04/2017 20:39

No I'm not the friend in this situation.

However, I have been in that situation. Many years ago I used to sail. There were a group of us - mixed sexes, some married, some single, some with kids, some not. I regularly sailed with one of the guys just because we worked together well and had a lot of success. His wife sailed with another woman and my husband tended to stay in the bar!

We all,got on well until she had a baby. I was in my mid 20s and had just been told I'd probably never have children, so was feeling a bit fragile and decided to distance myself from her a bit. I did continue to see her socially and every conversation seemed to be dominated by the baby and how hard her life was. I'm afraid that I didn't want to hear it. She knew my situation and it was like she was rubbing it in. So I avoided her even more.

However, at the time her husband and I training pretty hard for a competition and he was keen to continue with that and so we still spent a lot of time together - including bunking down in a small cabin on a yacht.

Eventually she blew up and accused us of having an affair, of me not supporting her and he wasn't supporting her and she had been diagnosed with PND, had struggled with feeding etc and I should have left her husband alone. The thing is, I didn't know any of that and had no idea how awful,things were for her. He never told me and, to be honest, our conversation was mostly related to sailing. He was definitely being a knob towards her - but he wasnt having an affair with me.

That's why I suggested caution. Luckily my DH found the whole situation amusing, but even he didn't appreciate the late night calls from her demanding that he dump me.

We moved away soon after and haven't bothered to keep in contact with either one. I heard that they split up, but no idea what the reason was.

So, I apologise if I have offended you, OP. Obviously I don't know your situation so I'm sorry if I got it wrong. Just wanted to give another side.

Take care and good luck