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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Ending my marriage but wife doesn't know yet

211 replies

anotherbloodynamechangeagain · 04/05/2019 21:57

NC for this as massively outing.
I've been married for over 25 years to a woman who I know I should never have married. She was pregnant with what I though was my child but subsequently it came out she had been sleeping around. Child was born at a time we were t together (we'd split up due to her infidelity). While we had been split up I'd got back with an old girlfriend who'd been my child hood sweetheart. 6 weeks after the baby had been born it was clear that all was not well as SS were becoming involved. As much as I didn't love her I felt the right thing was to go back to her as she wasn't coping. Timing was awful as on the day I was about to tell my girlfriend that we had to split she also discovered she was pregnant. I didn't tell her that day but a few weeks later I I did. She was devastated even though I told her my reasons-it wasn't love it was duty. I knew she had strong family and could cope whereas the other girl couldn't.
Many many years passed. I paid maintenance but had no contact. My wife told me she'd take our children away if I had contact with him.
Last year I met my son for the first time. He's a fine young man and a father himself now.
It hasn't been a happy marriage as wife is a functional alcoholic and not a good mother. I've kept my head down and worked hard to provide for them all. I'm now at the point where my children are adults and I can't take any more of this woman. She's poisonous and even told lies when I visited my son.
I also saw my ex-DS mum. I'm still every bit as much in love with her as I ever was. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't know if there can ever be a future for us after how I've behaved. But I know I can't keep on with the lie I'm living now.
AIBU to just tell her our marriage is over and I don't even want to attempt to sort it out?

OP posts:
Desmondo2016 · 04/05/2019 22:00

Of course you're not. You deserve to be happy, just do it fairly and as thoughtfully as you can

MarIsFiuLiomE · 04/05/2019 22:00

Wow. For 25 years you have Not Loved her. But for 25 years you stayed.

Be kind. End it. Free her.

JuniFora · 04/05/2019 22:03

Just leave. You've wasted enough years with a woman you never loved. Life is too short to be miserable.

Snappedandfarted2019 · 04/05/2019 22:04

I have no sympathy tbh I don’t understand why posters have. For 25 years you stayed with a woman who had a child who wasn’t even you’res yet you abandoned your child and the woman you claim to have loved and missed his childhood. I say you got everything you deserved Biscuit

Decormad38 · 04/05/2019 22:05

There’s duty and there’s masochism. You’re in the latter. Leave man!

Nolagerformethanks · 04/05/2019 22:06

You say she doesn't know, she's probably not daft and will have picked up on your feelings/actions/moods and most likely come to the conclusion you are not happy. Now is your chance to be though, don't be nasty about it, don't throw blame around and don't bring the kids into it, it's worth it for a (hopefully!) smoother seperation.

SleepingStandingUp · 04/05/2019 22:06

Just be direct but not unkind

Do you own the house? Do you intend to move out, sell etc. Does she work or do you finacially support her?

Leeds2 · 04/05/2019 22:07

Just leave. Your wife deserves better.

Overmaars · 04/05/2019 22:08

Leave her. It's really not doing her any favours as you don't love her.

anotherbloodynamechangeagain · 04/05/2019 22:08

I'm currently supporting her as we are living abroad for my work. We sold our house when we moved out here so there is a chunk of money in the bank to be divided.
I honestly don't care how much this will cost me. I just want to stop living half a life

OP posts:
EinsteinsArousedSausagesHCB · 04/05/2019 22:10

The ex had a lucky escape by the sounds of it.

Ending my marriage but wife doesn't know yet
Snappedandfarted2019 · 04/05/2019 22:11

Oh you poor thing Hmm forced to marry her, had a terrible life with her. No one forced you stop playing the victim

anotherbloodynamechangeagain · 04/05/2019 22:11

@EinsteinsArousedSausagesHCB sorry that made me laugh more than it should have! My ex and I played in school orchestra together

OP posts:
Butchyrestingface · 04/05/2019 22:11

For 25 years you stayed with a woman who had a child who wasn’t even you’res yet you abandoned your child and the woman you claim to have loved and missed his childhood

Well, this basically.

You abandoned your own child and had no contact with him for over two decades for the sake of a child who wasn’t yours? WTF??

PinkiOcelot · 04/05/2019 22:12

Totally agree with Snapped. You even went on to have children with this woman. The woman you say you’ve never loved.

Butchyrestingface · 04/05/2019 22:12

I’ve just saved that image. It’s gonna get overused to high fuck. 😈😈😈

anotherbloodynamechangeagain · 04/05/2019 22:13

@Snappedandfarted2019 I wasn't forced to marry her. I just thought I was doing the right thing. We were all very young at the time. I know that how I feel is a direct result of my actions.

OP posts:
SleepingStandingUp · 04/05/2019 22:13

So now you intend to abandon your wife in a foreign country alone.

I think you at least need to make sure she can afford to get home and rent something whilst she looks for work

Shockers · 04/05/2019 22:14

What? You abandoned your own child at the request of someone you never loved?

You don’t deserve him, or his mother. Fathers are much more than financial support. If they’ve forgiven you, you are an extremely lucky man.

Your wife too- why did you think she needed a life without love? It’s arrogance in the extreme. You could be the very reason she drinks.

Unbelievable.

anotherbloodynamechangeagain · 04/05/2019 22:15

@Butchyrestingface the eldest may well be mine but there is doubt over his paternity. I've loved him like my own and never made any difference between him and the other 2 children we had together. Even now I wouldn't want a paternity test. My eldest doesn't know there is doubt

OP posts:
anotherbloodynamechangeagain · 04/05/2019 22:16

@SleepingStandingUp no I would not abandon her. I will make whatever arrangements she needs me to in order to get her back to the UK and she will have security

OP posts:
springydaff · 04/05/2019 22:18

You have made a huge mistake posting in AIBU.

Please, ask for your thread to be moved to Relationships.

anotherbloodynamechangeagain · 04/05/2019 22:20

@Shockers yes I know I might be part of the reason. However she does have family history of AA-both parents.
I naively thought that I would grow to love her. Yes we had a period when the children were younger where life was more bearable. We had fun as a family but there is no fun now. The children all have a difficult relationship with her too

OP posts:
SandyY2K · 04/05/2019 22:20

I'm confused with your last post. Is the eldest your child or not? Initially it seemed not..now you say you're not sure.

In any event, you've not been happy with her. End the marriage, so you can find happiness before it's too late.

fruitbrewhaha · 04/05/2019 22:21

What??? You left a pregnant woman you loved for a cheating ex who had a child that wasn't yours. Who then stopped your contact with your DS. Because of duty?

I've read some crazy shit on here but this is nuts. Your mariage is sham, leave her and find happiness.

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