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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

ExH, his new girlfriend and the family beach house

305 replies

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 00:52

ExH and I split in late 2022. I left him
after years of abuse, including physical abuse. Haven’t regretted it for a second. I have a new partner who I am very very happy with, exH has a new girlfriend, I have as little to do with exH as possible. He has our two children every other weekend. He pays bare minimum child support, won’t buy clothes for them to keep at his house, is generally a shit dad and human being. My 9 year old son came home with a bruise on his arm a couple of weeks ago from Dad pinching him. Not the first time my son has been hurt by his father. This has been logged with the police.

I bought exH out of the family home last year. It’s nearly killed me with massive mortgage + peak interest rates, but I am lucky enough to have a great job and have been able to manage. We also co-own a beach house. This is about to be listed for sale - for various logistical reasons it was financially advantageous to delay the sale. (Had we sold a year ago we would have paid circa $150K in extra tax and the market was v v depressed).

When I bought the family home the (substantial) beach house mortgage was paid off from my mortgage to save us from usurious interest rates. Both of us have good jobs - exH earns slightly more than me. He rents a property for about half what I pay in mortgage. ExH is waiting for the beach house to be sold before he buys a house. I gave exH the option of buying me out of my interest in the beach house so he was the sole owner. He refused - he doesn’t want to be “left with it”.

I have never taken my boyfriend to the beach house - in fact have gone to considerable expense booking airbnbs when we have gone away together. My view that when we split was that the beach house was a family home, it was special to our kids and what was once our family and taking new partners there would be disrespectful of that.

Despite this, exH nagged to take his girlfriend there. I said I wasn’t comfortable but I am used to him disregarding my wishes on everything so I said not with the kids there and not sleeping in my bed.

A month later (at Easter) he took the kids away as his sister was visiting from the UK for a family long weekend. Unbeknownst to me (or the kids), the girlfriend was invited. When he was told, my eldest son (9) cried and asked t go home (he told me later). ExH then refused to allow the kids to call me for 48 hours to make sure I didn’t find out.

Since then, exH takes his girlfriend regularly and I can tell they have been sleeping in my bedroom. I have tried to be grey rock about it all tbh as he’s such a lying cunt I can’t be bothered engaging with him.

Over the last month, exH has got very busy preparing the house for sale and announced he was going to plaster and paint the interior walls. This is a man who, in the 21 years we were together, couldn’t paint a doorknob. It transpired that New Gf is quite a dab hand at renovations and plastered and painted 3 bedrooms over the course of a week. For free.

I said to exH that was weird and he could afford to pay someone and I hoped that at least he was paying her… his first reaction was to say “she wants to help!” and the second was to ask me to chip in for half of it. That would be a no.

This weekend just been was a long weekend here and I took the kids to the bach. New Gf has been very busy, reorganising the linen cupboard (I can tell as the towels are folded into thirds, something exH never mastered in 20 years). My wardrobe… with all of my clothes hanging in it … has been tidied up and reorganised.

The house is far from Manderly but at this point the Rebecca vibes are off the chart. My tampons are literally in the bathroom drawer.

My strong suspicion is that exH has told New Gf it’s his house (“I let her have the family home for the kids… I took the beach house in the separation … but I still let her take the kids there on holiday because I’m Such a Great Dad”).

Whether she knows or not, AIBU to find it massively creepy and intrusive and go full Mrs Danvers on both of them?

OP posts:
Autumnalsun · 31/10/2024 10:06

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 09:51

@Autumnalsun I met my now DP in 1998 when I was 17. I met him again by pure coincidence after having not seen him for 24 years and that chance encounter changed my life. I introduced him to my kids after a year and only then after I knew we were committed to each other and after I consulted their therapist on the best approach for doing so.

I am a fucking amazing mother and my kids are my total priority in life. Very few people could do what I have done in leaving a psychotically abusive man, keeping my kids in their family home, safe and settled and well cared for, with zero assistance from anyone. I am far from insane and everything I do is about keeping my kids emotionally and physically safe.

I’m not having a go OP and you have acted way better than your ex but your kids have gone through years of domestic abuse and in less than 2 years their parents have separated and then both got into new relationships and been introduced to new partners.
They are still suffering from potential abuse from their dad too.

It’s a lot for them to have dealt with and yet your main focus is on the new woman being in your holiday home.
That is literally the last thing that should be on your mind.

Also if you haven’t seen someone for 24 years, that is just as good as being a complete stranger. So I’m not sure why that’s relevant.

I think it’s great you waited to introduce your kids but it does seem a lot in such a short amount of time and I would be focusing on what’s important which is the kids.

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 10:12

Autumnalsun · 31/10/2024 10:06

I’m not having a go OP and you have acted way better than your ex but your kids have gone through years of domestic abuse and in less than 2 years their parents have separated and then both got into new relationships and been introduced to new partners.
They are still suffering from potential abuse from their dad too.

It’s a lot for them to have dealt with and yet your main focus is on the new woman being in your holiday home.
That is literally the last thing that should be on your mind.

Also if you haven’t seen someone for 24 years, that is just as good as being a complete stranger. So I’m not sure why that’s relevant.

I think it’s great you waited to introduce your kids but it does seem a lot in such a short amount of time and I would be focusing on what’s important which is the kids.

My main focus in my life is obviously not this woman being in my home. She’s been in my home for the last year. The main focus of this thread is the fact she rearranged my clothes.

OP posts:
Bangwam1 · 31/10/2024 10:16

Poor woman is in for a ride. Forget her, she’s playing happy family because he is lovebombing the hell out of her with beach houses and playing stepford wife (with a paintbrush)

Focus on getting him away from your children

Bangwam1 · 31/10/2024 10:17

Allowing her to do this in your home with your belongings is to get this reaction, so don’t give it to him

ketchuptom · 31/10/2024 10:25

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 10:12

My main focus in my life is obviously not this woman being in my home. She’s been in my home for the last year. The main focus of this thread is the fact she rearranged my clothes.

huh? reread your own Op

Autumnalsun · 31/10/2024 10:37

ketchuptom · 31/10/2024 09:56

is this the guy that lives 24 hours away?

How long was it before you got with this man after ending your marriage?

And how many times have you actually seen him if he lives in a completely different country?

You have been through years of abuse and suffered massive trauma.

You sound like a great mum but you are obviously very vulnerable and I am concerned that you are in love with a man you barely know.

The fact that you’ve started a thread about the new woman tidying away your clothes and not of your son coming home with injuries from someone you know is violent and abusive, is quite concerning that you’re perhaps not in the right frame of mind and haven’t yet healed from your past relationship.

Raspberryripple11 · 31/10/2024 10:41

Honestly I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, if anything it’s great that she’s done it up a bit for free. Yeah your ex is a twat, but you already knew that.
As for the reorganising of drawers/cupboards - it is a bit weird but maybe she took the stuff out of them so she could clean them? Then just put the stuff back in neatly.
I love cleaning and home renovation so if my partner asked for my help I would totally do it.

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 10:50

No offence @Autumnalsun but why would I post an AIBU about my exH being abusive. clearly I am not BU! I’ve posted plenty about my experience over the last few years

I started a relationship with DP 6 months after my marriage ended and introduced him to my kids almost a year later. We see each other pretty frequently. Unconventional but it works for me.

Why am I “obviously very vulnerable”? Because I had a long relationship with an abusive man? It’s far more common than most people realise, unfortunately. Plenty of affluent middle class women like me still trapped in gilded cages. I escaped.

OP posts:
RedHelenB · 31/10/2024 10:54

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 09:34

What would you do differently in this situation? I’m all ears.

Not let the children be unsupervised with him. It's obviously not legal for hi. To hurt his dc like this or you wouldn't have gone to the police. I'd use the law to ensure non contact.

ballybooboo · 31/10/2024 10:55

whatatodoaboutnothing · 31/10/2024 07:45

I’d care more about my ex being physically abusive to my child than his new gf tidying up my wardrobe

Yes, wouldn't give a shit about another women seeing my tampons Confused would give a shit about my son being mis-treated

RedHelenB · 31/10/2024 10:55

Fedupwithteenagers24 · 31/10/2024 08:06

His wife wasn't pregnant

And she wanted him to kill.her as she wasn't able to cope with the ravages of cancer, she wanted a quick death. So not really murder at all.

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 10:56

RedHelenB · 31/10/2024 10:54

Not let the children be unsupervised with him. It's obviously not legal for hi. To hurt his dc like this or you wouldn't have gone to the police. I'd use the law to ensure non contact.

How would you do that

OP posts:
Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 10:57

ballybooboo · 31/10/2024 10:55

Yes, wouldn't give a shit about another women seeing my tampons Confused would give a shit about my son being mis-treated

it is possible to care deeply about things while writing online rants about less important issues

OP posts:
Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 10:58

RedHelenB · 31/10/2024 10:55

And she wanted him to kill.her as she wasn't able to cope with the ravages of cancer, she wanted a quick death. So not really murder at all.

Shooting a woman in cold blood because she provoked you is “not really murder at all”

And people wonder why domestic abuse survivors don’t complaint to the police!

🤪😂

OP posts:
OutVileJelly1 · 31/10/2024 11:01

I think you are overthinking this.

Just walk away with your dignity

TheCultureHusks · 31/10/2024 11:05

ketchuptom · 31/10/2024 09:55

why did your ex feel like he needed your permission to stay in a home that he owns half of?

they agreed it.

She abided by the agreement.

Fuckface did not

Ophy83 · 31/10/2024 11:15

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 09:32

We don’t share the bedroom. It’s a 4 bedroom house and there is a double bedroom downstairs which should be “his” (and hers I guess) but I can tell from things being moved around that they’ve been staying in my upstairs room 🤢

Can you get a lock for this room, lock it from the outside when you leave the house and keep the key with you?

Secradonugh · 31/10/2024 11:17

Try to assume the best of her, because you know your ex is a manipulator. I'd think that she's been told that he is trying to sell it, but you refuse point blank to help at all and you've said she can do whatever she wants. It's also possible that it's been rented outor he's invited others to stay (but unlikely). I'd try to limit your anger of her until you speak to her (which I'm sure one day you'll get a weird question from her like "Why does my Husband still sleep over at yours twice a week").

RedHelenB · 31/10/2024 11:20

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 10:58

Shooting a woman in cold blood because she provoked you is “not really murder at all”

And people wonder why domestic abuse survivors don’t complaint to the police!

🤪😂

Is it murder or suicide? She wanted him to kill her, that's why she said about being pregnant with another man's child that would grow up to inherit Manderley. She knew she wasn't pregnant.

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 11:25

Secradonugh · 31/10/2024 11:17

Try to assume the best of her, because you know your ex is a manipulator. I'd think that she's been told that he is trying to sell it, but you refuse point blank to help at all and you've said she can do whatever she wants. It's also possible that it's been rented outor he's invited others to stay (but unlikely). I'd try to limit your anger of her until you speak to her (which I'm sure one day you'll get a weird question from her like "Why does my Husband still sleep over at yours twice a week").

Yes I think this is spot on. My friend’s mum said something very similar “One day you’ll get the call - they always call.”

OP posts:
Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 11:27

RedHelenB · 31/10/2024 11:20

Is it murder or suicide? She wanted him to kill her, that's why she said about being pregnant with another man's child that would grow up to inherit Manderley. She knew she wasn't pregnant.

It’s a great story. I always thought the narrator was called Roberta (tangent).

It’s a form of suicide but he’s still a murderer! And horrible to the second wife too.

OP posts:
ketchuptom · 31/10/2024 11:48

Endoftheroad12345 · 31/10/2024 10:50

No offence @Autumnalsun but why would I post an AIBU about my exH being abusive. clearly I am not BU! I’ve posted plenty about my experience over the last few years

I started a relationship with DP 6 months after my marriage ended and introduced him to my kids almost a year later. We see each other pretty frequently. Unconventional but it works for me.

Why am I “obviously very vulnerable”? Because I had a long relationship with an abusive man? It’s far more common than most people realise, unfortunately. Plenty of affluent middle class women like me still trapped in gilded cages. I escaped.

how do you see someone “pretty frequently” who lives a 24 hour flight away and you’re a single parent?

ketchuptom · 31/10/2024 11:50

I intrigued that this abusive arse hole of an ex

felt like he had to implore you to allow him to visit the beach house that he owned half of

and i’m curious whether you ever felt the need to ask him?

ketchuptom · 31/10/2024 11:50

So you’re angry with the girlfriend

but also saying to your ex that you hope he paid her for painting the beach house

TheCultureHusks · 31/10/2024 11:56

She’s venting people.

God I hate it when the Cross Examination Bitches find a thread.