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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To worry about DH's secret friend

176 replies

WhenCheeseIsLife · 18/07/2019 19:18

My husband has a secret friend (not so secret now) that I found out about by accident.

Would it bother you?

I saw a text on his phone from this female friend. Nothing bad just they were meeting for lunch. I brought it up there and then. I wasn't horrible or accusatory. (Just to point out before anyone does, I have no problem with him having friends, male or female! He has many and does meet up occasionally with both male and female friends. I also don't insist he tells me exactly who he spoke to. What bothers me is that he's kept her a secret and then lied about it).

My words to him were simply "oh, are you meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow?" When I saw the text. He got very defensive about it saying that yes he was, she's an old friend he's known for a long time and he had done nothing wrong, he can meet up with whoever he likes. Which is true! And I would never stop him.
He's never been like this with any other female friends.

The really strange thing happened when a few months later we decided to book a day off work to spend together. There was only one day available that I could take, asked DH if he was ok with it and booked it. A few days later I brought up this day off trying to plan what to do and he said he couldn't do that day because he thought he had business meeting. Got out his work phone and said this meeting was with this woman. I asked him if he would be able to rearrange the meeting for another day since she's a friend and as it was the only day I could have. There were too many people off for the next few weeks. WIBU to ask??

We had a massive argument about it because I didn't see how he couldn't even ask...if she had said no then I told him that's fair enough because his work is important. He told me her dad owned some huge company that he was trying to get work from for years and made me feel incredibly small and pathetic for even asking. (I googled it and their family don't own it at all! Complete lie!) I did tell him what I found and he just said that he owns another company but must have forgotten the name. Yes! He forgot the name of a company he has desperately been trying to get work from for years.

I don't think he's having an affair with her but probably more likely an emotional affair.

So my question is AIBU by being bothered by this? He just acted so strangely and defensively when I asked. I am very ashamed to say that I peeked at his phone after though! I don't know what came over me. It was a complete invasion of his privacy and I've never done it since. I know I was completely unreasonable doing that. He had texted her saying she was a good friend and how lucky he was to have her in his life. I haven't brought it up since and have no idea if he still meets up with her. I'm happy that he has her as a friend to talk to but I don't understand why he would never mention her. Am I being batshit crazy?!

OP posts:
GabsAlot · 18/07/2019 23:41

Exaclty FERKEN all this you need to catch him out and lok at his phone is irrelevant hes already lied so something is going on

WonderWorm · 18/07/2019 23:43

He had texted her saying she was a good friend and how lucky he was to have her in his life.

This screams out at me. Classic male behaviour of the dodgy kind. Next it'll be "my wife doesn't get me like you do".

Bandara · 18/07/2019 23:56

I was just thinking sbout my exes. One had lots of female friends and I was fine with all of them. One had one close female friend and I really wasnt fine with her. He wouldnt introduce me to her. It just felt off. Trust your gut

lilypoppet · 19/07/2019 00:02

Always trust your gut.

Sewrainbow · 19/07/2019 00:07

Totally cheating Sad

TuesdaySunshine · 19/07/2019 00:15

Never mind her. I would have absolutely no truck with the deceit. If I discovered my DP had lied to me like this, I would be looking for full disclosure and no attitude about it. Whatever your feelings might ordinarily be about female friends, he has forfeited his right to the benefit of the doubt here. If he can't cope with that as a basic expectation in a marriage, then you have bigger problems than just her.

Yeahnahmum · 19/07/2019 00:28

He is having an affair. And not just an. emotional one op

TypingoftheDead · 19/07/2019 02:12

I'm sorry, OP, I don't really have any advice but I have to agree he's definitely up to no good.
Good luck with finding out what's going on Flowers

peanutbutterbanana1 · 19/07/2019 09:05

Good luck, I hope you got some answers when he came home last night Flowers

Sneezeandooops · 19/07/2019 09:32

Have you found out any more op?

Shoxfordian · 19/07/2019 09:54

He sounds shady af
Sorry op

Ferfeckssake · 19/07/2019 10:11

Married men have no right to have secret friends. End of.
I agree , women nowadays are trying so hard to be liberal and open-minded. And men seem to be using this to their advantage.
He has already lied about the reason he meets her. So he is a liar with a secret friend .
Not good, I 'm afraid. And he is shit for putting you in this position.

WhenCheeseIsLife · 19/07/2019 10:34

Talking to him this morning, (I could have won an Oscar with how I kept cool!) I actually don't think he met her last night. Unless he's a very good liar and can cover his tracks this well. He went into a lot of detail about who was there and what the dinner was about. It was listed in his work calendar on his phone but I know that doesn't mean anything.

I did manage to confirm that it is the woman I found on FB. Her WhatsApp photo and FB profile are the same.
No text messages from her. That's as much as I had time to do whilst he was in the shower.

So nothing concrete yet but I'm just go to play it cool and take my time.

OP posts:
SparklyMagpie · 19/07/2019 10:34

Shady as fuck!

Hope you're alright OP, this would be driving me up the wall

Clayplease · 19/07/2019 10:36

Really hate situations like this. Hope you are ok OP. Be STRONG and trust your instincts. Literally everyone on here (including me) say this all sounds VERY suspicious, so don't let him tell you otherwise.

Your feelings are important- you definitely deserve to be treated with respect, especially considering you have been so understanding. Loads of women wouldn't be ok with a female friend they hadn't met, let alone a secret one. Maybe ask (casually, if at all possible! 😁) 'Tell me all about xxx then, how did you meet? When do you know her from? What does she do?' Really grill him and see how he responds.

MrsMozartMkII · 19/07/2019 10:43

Why did he go into so much detail? Does he usually?

GabsAlot · 19/07/2019 10:55

You dont need anything concrete hes already lied to you!

WhenCheeseIsLife · 19/07/2019 10:55

@MrsMozartMkII yes, that's quite normal for him. He was quite chatty. When I asked how the lunch was when I first found out about her I just got a one word answer 'fine'. I think I would have had a similar response to that if last night had been about her.

OP posts:
cryer · 19/07/2019 10:57

He's having an affair. He will only gaslight you. I'd be ending the relationship.

Treaclesweet · 19/07/2019 11:02

He will lie and lie again to cover his tracks. I'd be making plans to end things if I were you.

dustarr73 · 19/07/2019 11:53

All the detail is a giveaway.Hes hoping by talking the benign shite you wont have time to ask him any questions

Memberblahblahblah · 19/07/2019 11:58

If he has said he’s lucky to have her in his life, it suggests she has been helping him in some way. Which itself suggests he is dealing with something that he’s had to confide in with someone that is not you.

So perhaps you might look at what this could be.

I hope you get through this ok Flowers

Motoko · 19/07/2019 12:32

You say she's young. How much younger than him would you say? The reason I ask, is he says he's known her for years, she's an old friend, which kind of implies they're similar in age, and she's possibly someone he knew before he met you. I'm wondering if this time frame of his, matches up with her age, or would she still have been in school then? If she would have been in school then, then it's proof that he's lying about that.

AnyFucker · 19/07/2019 12:52

What are you trying to convince yourself if ?

Chatty=not seeing OW versus not chatty= seeing OW

Is this how you want to live your life ? Hypervigilance will wear you out and wear you down.

OhBcereus · 19/07/2019 12:53

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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