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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Husband's affair partner

408 replies

jusstme · 13/02/2021 14:00

Husband ended affair with AP over the phone, I listened afterwards on call record, call only lasted about 3 minutes, couldn't believe what I heard, three times he said he was sorry, he told her he would miss her and he also told her he didn't want to hurt her, he also told her he wanted to make his marriage work, I sat there flabbergasted. It wasn't what we agreed to tell her, I wanted him to be direct and straight to the point, it's over and there will be no more contact. After listening to it, I just thought WTF! He certainly didn't sound like someone who wanted to save his marriage. Am I right to be upset( that's putting it mildly) about this

OP posts:
gonnabeok · 13/02/2021 16:48

OP that conversation he had with her when you were present says it all! If he can say that when you're listening what do you think he will be doing when you don't know. It will restart again at some point.

Do the only kind thing you can do and free yourself from that relationship. He has no intention of ending it and even worse has no remorse and you will be constantly angry and suspicious and become someone you don't want to be. That is no life!

A 10 year affair! What a complete idiot he is. That is a long time of being unfaithful and lying to your partner. He obviously had no problem continuing with that degree of betrayal.

Set yourself free - he's no catch. If you're emotions are all over the place you need time away from him for yourself. Counselling can help you make sense of your way forward.

I've been there - don't let him turn you into someone you don't want to be. I ended it - I didn't want a life of suspicion and distrust. Also I couldn't forgive the betrayal and told him that. I realised I deserved someone I could trust. He made his bed he's lying in it.

You control your future. You will be well rid!

Bluntness100 · 13/02/2021 16:50

Well she's a human too. Presumably your husband wasn't truthful to her either and now he's dumping her. He should be sorry, what kind of person would say 'right you can fuck off now' after being intimate with someone? He isn't being kind to you by being vile to her

I don’t think this is correct actually and I think it is likely he has been honest with her, she’s also married and she’s a colleague. And he didn’t tell her to fuck off. Far from it.

EggBobbin · 13/02/2021 16:52

OP is probably still in shock if she only found out 4 months ago.

I’d second pp’s advice to build up your own life and plan to leave him in the next year or two on your own terms. You can even give him a blunt 3 min phone call and mention ‘by the way- this is how you end a relationship not how you did in February!’ He’s probably terrified of you leaving and taking half- OW will be stuck with him then!

Whythesadface · 13/02/2021 16:53

So if it's a 38 Year Marriage and you got together at 22ish, that means your 60.
I know you hate the situation but he choose you, and either you accept that and work to make however long you have left as good as it can be, Or you decide that you will never trust him and finish it.
You have a long time to still have an enjoyable life, which do you truly want?

FFSAllTheGoodOnesArereadyTaken · 13/02/2021 16:54

Have you posted about this before OP? If so, he didn't sound at all sorry on your last thread and it didn't sound like he wanted your marriage to work, it sounded like he was acting like such a dick, getting irritable that you weren't over it already etc, that youd be forced to leave and he would be the injured party (never mind the affair!) And I'd see this phone call as an extension of that. If not then I guess it isn't going to be easy to end a 10 year relationship and I think you're probably focussing on the wrong thing...actions speak louder than words and it's what he does now in terms of cutting her out and rebuilding your trust that counts

Bookwords · 13/02/2021 16:54

This is heartbreaking, I'm sorry for you OP.

Thanks
elizabethdraper · 13/02/2021 16:58

Sorry 10 years isn't an affair,its a relationship.

You are never coming back from this. He is going to leave you for his partner

Puzzledandpissedoff · 13/02/2021 16:58

After a long marriage not divorcing someone in ill health if they are likely to die is pretty sensible

Please shout me down if I'm wrong, but I'm not aware OP said he's in ill health?

BlueSkyAhead · 13/02/2021 16:59

@greycloudysky

Surely the way forward is to accept an open marriage. You don't need to know the details. It's far better than expecting him not to cheat again. You get to keep your life as it is, if moving on is too hard and he stays with his affair partner - he's been with her 10 years OP and would still be seeing her if you hadn't found out. Let him get on with it because the alternative is going to destroy your mental health. You'll never trust him again.
Agree

And get yourself a boyfriend too Flowers

Callixte · 13/02/2021 17:01

I wouldn't be shocked by what he DID say - it sounds like a normal breakup conversation and three minutes is VERY fast to end a ten year relationship under any circumstances. I donlt think it's possible to stick to a script for something like this, especially not someone else's script.

BUT: It wasn't what we agreed to tell her, I wanted him to be direct and straight to the point, it's over and there will be no more contact. Clearly he did tell her it's over, but did he simply skip over the part about no contact? If so, I'd address that with him now. He may genuinely intend to cut all contact, but she won't necessarily have received that message unless he said it clearly. What is he going to do if she contacts him? (I don't mean for anything romantic or sexual, but in the way anyone might pass news, send a card, ask for advice from someone they've been close to for years, etc.) Do they have mutual friends, colleagues, etc. or things that will potential put them in contact with each other, even as part of a group and how will he deal with that? If you and your H agreed that your marriage is top priority and a complete break is required, he needs to be committed to that complete break and show you that he is.

I also agree with the suggestion about counselling (together and/or separately) even if it has to be remote for now. This is going to be hard on both of you in ways you probably can't anticipate. I'm sorry to say it but he IS going to grieve this relationship even if he is unconflicted about having chosen you and is genuinely committed to making your marriage work.

TheCatThatGotTheCream · 13/02/2021 17:01

@rawalpindithelabrador

You again. Get real. He doesn't want to end it with her. He won't, either, he'll be back at it as soon as he thinks the coast is clear. It's been 10 years.
"You again" Seriously? What a cruel way to talk to a woman who is desperately hurting. You vile creature. Shame on you.
sassbott · 13/02/2021 17:02

This makes my skin crawl and reminds me of something that happened to me 20 years ago.
I reconciled with my first love and it was about 4 months later that he revealed he was married with children. Hideous. I broke it off. He got back in touch and I agreed to remain friends with him (stupid decision on my part). Nothing untoward ever happened. About 6-8 months later he called me, saying his wife had found out about me, she knew I was his first love and that she had gone ballistic. He said that she had demanded he ring me, with her on speaker and end it. I asked ‘end what?’, he simply said, I’m so sorry, I need to do this. I agreed - simply because he had children and I did not want to be cause of their marriage breakdown.

He called a few hours later, what followed was an intensely humiliating 2-3 minutes. It was clear I was on speaker and he ran through a script. I was not to call him, I needed to leave him alone, he loved his wife, had no intention of leaving her. I stayed silent. Call ended.

The reality? I would have loved to have shown his wife my phone bills. This was pre whatsapp. I hadn’t called him once. Or instigated contact, once. Ever. All efforts were from him. All calls were from him.

On and off, for years he would continue to try and contact me. Facebook? Yup. Blocked him. LinkedIn. Yup. Blocked him. (You get the picture.)

He has feelings for her Op. how much she is complicit in what is going on, I obviously have no idea but for this to have been a 10 year relationship, there’s deep connection.

But based on what he’s just done? I assume based on your behest. I think he’s scum. He’s done it to keep you happy - but you’re deluding yourself if you think that with that call, his feelings for this woman will stop.

Marinaloves · 13/02/2021 17:03

@TheCatThatGotTheCream
Tbf
She’s not wrong.
Why wouldn’t someone post this is relationships- Aibu is hideous

sassbott · 13/02/2021 17:03

My heart goes out to you btw. I think he’s treated both of you horribly. I don’t think he deserves either one of you.

TheCatThatGotTheCream · 13/02/2021 17:04

I'm so sorry that you're going through this. I think there will always be the worry in the back of your mind that he might still be in touch with her. That's no way to live. I would get your ducks in a row and leave. I know how hard it is, it's soul destroying. But you can find happiness again, whether that's on your own or with another man. Best of luck.

TheCatThatGotTheCream · 13/02/2021 17:06

@Marinaloves She's not wrong? By being cruel to someone? That says more about you to be honest if you don't think that that is a vile way to speak to someone who is obviously hurting a lot. It doesn't matter where she posted, it doesn't automatically make it ok to be cruel to someone just because they posted on the 'wrong' board.

I despair of how cruel some people are.

MizMoonshine · 13/02/2021 17:06

He's cheated on you for ten years !
You've agreed to try to make it work and he's betrayed you at the first hurdle by not saying study you had agreed.
He's starting how he means to go on.

LEAVE THE BASTARD!!!

Starseed2021 · 13/02/2021 17:06

I discovered he had been having a 10 year affair
and you sit him down like a child and force him to end things?????
Where's YOUR self respect??????
You're choosing to be with someone who's in love with somebody else.......

Ivyr0se · 13/02/2021 17:08

If your not going to leave him then seperate yourself emotionally from him. Its very likely he will end up with her again.
Prepare and strengthen yourself for his further deception.

I honestly don't see why or how you could stay with someone who lied to you every day for 10 years.

VinylDetective · 13/02/2021 17:09

@EllasAuntie

A 10 year affair shows it wasn't a fling. There were feelings on both sides.

Just because he ended it doesn't mean he had to be unkind when he spoke to her.

Of course he was sorry- he'd led her on to expect more.
Of course he will miss her.
Of course he didn't want (set out) to hurt her at the start.

All of those statements are true.

What he said to her makes no difference to where you are now.

It's what he does with you now that's the issue and if you can move on as a couple.

Exactly this. In these circumstances I’d see “Fuck off and never contact me again” as a performance for my benefit. I definitely wouldn’t want to stay with someone who did that after ten years.
Dogsarehairy · 13/02/2021 17:11

@Puzzledandpissedoff

After a long marriage not divorcing someone in ill health if they are likely to die is pretty sensible

Please shout me down if I'm wrong, but I'm not aware OP said he's in ill health?

Another poster described that their DH had subsequently died in a similar position. The post I replied to quoted that poster.
BlueTimes · 13/02/2021 17:12

He’s being nice to her because he wants to continue with her again at some point in the future.

Devlesko · 13/02/2021 17:15

Well, for at least 10 years he's had another partner, spent money on her, whilst lying and cheating to your face and taking you for a mug.
I hope you realise he's never been the man you thought he was and time for you to move on and find someone who isn't a cheating scum bag.

caringcarer · 13/02/2021 17:25

You are an idiot not to.dump him. He is clearly attracted to this other person and more concerned about her feelings than yours.

Fluffycloudland77 · 13/02/2021 17:26

I think a divorce is more likely to happen, 10 years is a long time so they must really get on well.

It could happen to any of us.