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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

What would you make of this?

4 replies

Happylions · 10/04/2024 12:12

DH and I have been together 8 years, married for 6, and have one DD. We’re both in our 40s.

DH has always been a bit of a closed book about his past relationships, and all I know are snippets. The impression I’ve always had is there wasn’t much to tell, and that he was mainly single before we met.

About five months ago, DH told me he was taking a day off work to travel to his home town to visit an old friend who’d been in touch. On asking a few more questions (it’s odd for him to take time off in the week for this), it transpired that the friend was female, was very unwell, and had asked to see him. It’s not someone he’s ever mentioned before or who I’ve met, and he said they’d not seen each other for 20 years.

I didn’t mention it again, and he took the day off as planned. He was quiet when he got home in the late afternoon, said his friend was more ill than he expected, but was good to catch up.

A month or so later DH’s old friend passed away. He took the day off work for the funeral. We chatted that evening and he told me that the friend was actually someone who he’d had a relationship with for a number of years when they were in their early 20s. In fact, they were engaged before going their separate ways. I was shocked to discover he’d had such a serious relationship and not mentioned it before.

Since then, he’s got back to his old self, and life has continued as normal. However, I can’t get rid of the nagging feeling that it was strange that he’d never mentioned her before, and it’s made me wonder what else went on in the past that I don’t know about. I can’t tell whether this is idle curiosity on my part, or I’m right to feel this way. I almost feel I don’t fully know him.

I should add that he’s never lied about this - he’s never denied having been engaged before (as I never asked).

AIBU? Any advice?

OP posts:
randomchap · 10/04/2024 12:23

Not everyone is comfortable about talking about old relationships.

If he's been faithful and loving in your relationship then that is all that really matters.

Aquamarine1029 · 10/04/2024 12:31

I almost feel I don’t fully know him.

You don't, and that's true for everyone. We can never know everything about someone, no matter how good the relationship we have with them is.

I've been very married for 26+ years and I adore my husband. He's a wonderful man, but I know very little about his previous relationships besides various little snippets because it's not my place to ask and I've never cared. That's his private business, and anything he's wanted to share, I assume he has.

My advice is to completely let this go.

Sux2buthen · 10/04/2024 12:32

He sounds like a gentleman to be honest. Doesn't ramble about irrelevant past and treated his ex respectfully at the end.

Happylions · 10/04/2024 12:40

Thanks everyone for your feedback, I think that’s where I’m at really - letting it go. I think it is idle curiosity and wanting to know more, but no purpose served by bringing it up.

OP posts:
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