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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DH ‘sexting’ colleague he only met at work party

382 replies

Jaydee92 · 07/12/2025 18:32

Feeling a bit fragile about this but I feel I need a sanity check. DH started his current job at the beginning of this year, goes into the office twice a week and has a lot of colleague who work remotely and he hasn’t seen before. Christmas party on Friday meant he met most of these in person for the first time as the company paid for them to travel and stay over. He was very drunk and I picked him up at the end of the night from the venue as pre agreed.

He was hungover on Saturday and in bed for most of the morning. Last night sat watching TV I noticed notifications on his phone (instagram messages) from a female name I didn’t recognise. I didn’t say anything but kept noticing it.

We have each others passwords for our phones and when he was in the shower this morning I looked at his messages. The message history only went back to yesterday. But basically the messages were sexual in nature. She posted a photo of her before the party, sat on a sort of sofa/stall. DH said to her he’d seen it and wished he was the stall. She said he was more handsome than he seemed on screen and that she couldn’t stop staring at his ‘bulge’ and suggested his trousers were too tight. DH said he couldn’t stop staring at her ‘tits’ and said sorry if she caught him talking to them.

I confronted DH immediately and he was initially really defensive before apologising, said he still felt drunk the following day and got carried away and had the ‘horn’.

I told him this is cheating and he said that’s nonsense as nothing happened.

My AIBU is whether I’m wrong to consider this cheating.

OP posts:
lessglittermoremud · 07/12/2025 20:01

The messages were totally inappropriate and I would stop trying to conceive….
If this is how he behaves when he’s been drinking then he needs to stop drinking so much… if you hadn’t checked his phone and caught him out, the messages would have definitely have continued despite being sober…. Sounds like he was close to cheating to me.

StartupRepair · 07/12/2025 20:04

Of course it's cheating. It is sexual intimate conversation with another woman. Agree that he seemed to get there very fast and easily and I doubt it is his first time.
He has a drinking problem too and doesn't understand workplace behaviour. You will be in for a lifetime of misery with this man.

nomas · 07/12/2025 20:04

Jaydee92 · 07/12/2025 18:40

No kids but ttc. He’s 33.

Do not have kids with him. He’ll be shagging someone else when you’re pregnant.

Fdsew · 07/12/2025 20:04

Lavender14 · 07/12/2025 19:50

My ex did this, extremely remorseful. Even went to marriage counselling. I really believed he was making huge efforts to change. But actually he was still doing the same thing and just getting better at hiding it. Left him never looked back but with a small child it was really hard. I think you need to think very very seriously whether you'd rather divorce him now, pregnant or with small kids because he's showing you exactly who he is and how much he respects you and how you respond to this is going to set the tone for how he thinks you expect to be treated and what you'll settle for.

Absolutely this.
No ever leaving him behind when you go on to have a child with him, despite him clearly showing you EXACTLY who he was.

Because he absolutely will do this again and again.

DemonsandMosquitoes · 07/12/2025 20:05

Shot himself in the foot hasn’t he. Surely it’s over. Not the kind of man I’d choose as the father to my children. You’re early thirties too? Move on quickly.

Roseandviolin · 07/12/2025 20:06

OP, it doesn't matter if THIS is or not cheating, he clearly thinks cheating is acceptable

Justthetonicandgin · 07/12/2025 20:08

I’d use him as a sperm donor, then smash my interview and leave the cheating cunt.

HE was up for a shag, irrelevant whether it happened, don’t be distracted by the detail.

CalculatingCrispen · 07/12/2025 20:09

Put Kaylee Rose "Cheating" song on loud - even better, put her video on the TV

Spells it out to these thick, feckless men

PopandFizz · 07/12/2025 20:09

BeMellowAquaSquid · 07/12/2025 18:51

You need to stop TTC that’s for sure. Personally id also confront the woman let her know she’s playing with a married man, call her out on it. Yes your husband is a total dick but she shouldn’t get off Scott free.

Don't do this (contact work, definitely do stop ttc) don't bring drama into his workplace as if you decide to move past this you've potentially tarnished his reputation workwise forever.

Also a lot of women don't care these days. She didn't make loyalty vows to OP, he did. If they are remote colleagues she might not even realise he's married.

BillieWiper · 07/12/2025 20:10

Yeah he's a prick. I mean if there was some very low level flirting/attraction when they met the last thing that should happen is them swapping messages.

People sometimes fancy other adults. But when you're attached you don't take it further regardless of how drunk you are.

AliceMaforethought · 07/12/2025 20:10

Arlanymor · 07/12/2025 18:37

It’s not cheating (in my eyes) but it’s not nonsense as he says either - it’s full on flirting. Being drunk or having the horn is no excuse. You don’t talk to anyone in that way if you’re in a committed relationship, full stop. I’d be furious. Really furious.

Of course it's cheating!

The1990club · 07/12/2025 20:11

Jaydee92 · 07/12/2025 18:40

No kids but ttc. He’s 33.

Stop ttc. Find. A. BETTER. Man!!

DoingAway · 07/12/2025 20:12

Roseandviolin · 07/12/2025 20:06

OP, it doesn't matter if THIS is or not cheating, he clearly thinks cheating is acceptable

Yes this. He’s minimising it and that tells you all you need to know. I’m really sorry op. You’re still young OP, consider your future carefully.

PopandFizz · 07/12/2025 20:12

If he has a work laptop I would ask, when he is at home and able to do it not when he has time to edit anything, to get his laptop in front of you, log in to teams or Google chat, whatever it is his workplace use and show you the chat log and previous emails with this woman.

That will tell you if it's just a drunken thing or if there has been build up. It will be much more subtle on there of course but any flirty, over use of emoji is a red flag.

If she's sent him a picture on IG BEFORE the party, there's obviously been pregame (pre SOBER game) going in.

Handbagcuriosity · 07/12/2025 20:14

What a dick OP, I would be booting my DH out for good as I couldn’t look at him the same way ever again after reading that.

I’d then be finding out who her husband is and sending him the screen shots and then messaging her to tell her you’ve found the messages and know about their sexting and that’s she’s welcome to him and you hope he was worth it

Good luck in interview

redfishcat · 07/12/2025 20:15

He is very foolish, not only has been hugely disrespectful to you and your relationship. She could cause awful problems at work for him and in a new job he can be let go on Monday, as the messages are just not appropriate between colleagues.

Horrorscope · 07/12/2025 20:17

ample290 · 07/12/2025 18:48

Oh god please don't have kids with him.

What a sleazebag. Of course sexting is cheating, cheating isn't just full sex.

This. Don’t throw your life away on this loser (or put any children in the mix).

Catpiece · 07/12/2025 20:17

😱 In the bin with him

SallyPatch · 07/12/2025 20:18

Ahhh this is horrible, I'm so sorry this has happened to you.

He can't even blame being drunk. Hungover is not drunk, he did this in his right mind and clearly has only stopped because he got caught. What if you hadn't confronted him?!

I hate to say it, but maybe it's a blessing you found this out before any children have come along - he's just shown you his true colours and this is your chance to make an escape!

This won't be the only time this happens. Again, he wasn't even drunk! You were at home with him when he was sexting someone else. What an arsehole!

Kisshygge · 07/12/2025 20:18

Do not have a child with this man!!

Wordsmithery · 07/12/2025 20:18

I'm not surprised you're very, very angry.
Think long and hard indeed before having kids with him.

NormasArse · 07/12/2025 20:20

What a grubby pair they are.

If you had done the same, would you feel guilty about it? The fact that he doesn’t is staggering, tbh

LemonDrizzleKay · 07/12/2025 20:22

Good work, Op. You’ve cock blocked them. Not that you should have to.

RonnieCharter · 07/12/2025 20:24

It’s cheating, do not conceive with this man.

MummyJ36 · 07/12/2025 20:24

That is really grubby. And it is definitely cheating. And it is absolutely immature. I couldn’t get over that, especially as you are ttc 😞

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