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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To judge cheating friend after all this time?

28 replies

Friendwoe2 · 10/06/2023 10:43

I've tried not to judge her, I've tried to be understanding but it's been years now.

Everyone loves my friend, shes s great mum to her 4dc. Her husband isn't the most attentive, she has mentioned in the past her resentment at him for not wanting to be intimate, he doesn't help much with the DC but does work hard outside the home.

They've been together for 15 years, for 13 of those years she's been seeing someone else. Her husband found out a few years ago, confronted her and they stayed together. She stopped seeing the OM for a while but soon resumed. I didn't pry or judge, I felt as her friend I should be supportive.

The part I'm struggling to move past is a few years ago her falling accidentally pregnant to OM and having a secret abortion. I was doing fertility treatment at the time so may have been overly sensitive to the way she flippantly talked about it, almost like it was a joke. She's joked to me in the past that when I get bored in my relationship, I'll start cheating too. She treats the whole thing like it's normal, inviting the OM to her house when her DH is at work. Laughing about sneaking him out the back when DH pulled up on the drive. Recently, I arrived as he was leaving, it was horribly awkward and made me reassess the friendship. I don't want to be part of this anymore.

Her DH is always sharing loving posts on FB about how wonderful his wife is for being the backbone of the family, smiling family photos yet under the surface all of this is going on. It feels fake. She's lying to everyone. The older I get, the more I question her morality. Her children are getting older, they're not daft, they'll start asking questions soon.

Would I be unreasonable to step back from friend despite accepting it for so long? If she can be this devious with her DH how can she be a trustworthy friend?

OP posts:
honeylulu · 10/06/2023 13:25

4 kids, with husband 15 years and having an affair for 13 years. Does she actually know who fathered the ones born after the 13 year mark? Ick. Her husband's reaction is odd. Is there any indication of it being a "beard" marriage? So strange. Her attitude to the termination is understandable but she was tone deaf to be so flippant about it to your face in the circumstances.

Friendwoe2 · 10/06/2023 15:27

I'm not casting stones, I'm not perfect. I suppose there could be a lot going on in their relationship I'm not privy to. She's quite open though, with me anyway.
It's the facade I don't like, the perfect family on the surface. I'm probably being naive, I bet a lot of families have a lot of skeletons plus I don't have 4 dc so can't relate to how difficult it is.

OP posts:
Friendwoe2 · 10/06/2023 15:29

honeylulu · 10/06/2023 13:25

4 kids, with husband 15 years and having an affair for 13 years. Does she actually know who fathered the ones born after the 13 year mark? Ick. Her husband's reaction is odd. Is there any indication of it being a "beard" marriage? So strange. Her attitude to the termination is understandable but she was tone deaf to be so flippant about it to your face in the circumstances.

You know what, you could be on to something with the "beard" marriage. From that perspective it makes me think I should mind my own.

OP posts:
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