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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

my husband is in love with another woman.

359 replies

ponytailcapbadge · 10/01/2026 18:59

Sorry this is a name change and a long one so as not to drip feed. I would like to hear people’s opinions as I am considering leaving my DH as he is in love with someone else, lets call her Sarah. He has known Sarah since they were 4 years old. Their parents and grandparents were all friends.She is who is parents thought he should and would marry and she is utterly adored by his who family. She called his parents mum and dad. My husband claims they were never an item (although he wished they were) and they have only kissed once when they were teenagers. She’s nothing to look at but has done very well in her career. We are now all in our late 50s.
This is a second marriage for both me and DH. I met him and his DW at work. I was friends with his DW1 and she would often speak about Sarah and how much she hated her and how she had banned her husband from ever contacting her. When DH marriage broke up, I was already divorced and we started seeing each other. Unfortunately in the job we do this is utterly banned and within 2 weeks we were discovered and he was sacked on the spot. He also lost his home at the same time as it went with the job. I was protected because he was my boss and so was considered a victim. DH had to move in with me and I supported him while he searched for a new career. I wanted a commitment from him and he proposed in a very theatrical way within 6 months of us getting together and it was wonderful – or so I thought.

It turned out that he had immediately got in contact with Sarah when his marriage failed and was messaging her several times a day. They also met up at her house. She told him not to marry me. At this point I understood why DW1 hated her. We got married anyway. It’s fair to say it’s been a pretty tempestuous union. My career has skyrocketed and I’ve moved up through the ranks. He’s struggled to find work and earns now a fraction of what he did when we worked together. I knew that he still thought about her and once he called out her name during sex.
When his mother died Sarah turned up at the funeral. I was furious that she should insert herself into our family grief. When DH father died a few years later she also came to that funeral and had the cheek to bring her husband and child as well. I told him in no uncertain terms that if he spoke to her there that the marriage would be over. She glared at me the whole time.
After the funeral I said he could never speak to Sarah again and told him to remove all social media links to her. I don’t understand why Sarah’s husband hadn’t stopped them speaking to each other.
It’s been 6 years and I really thought she was out of our lives and then on NYE his phone pinged.I checked his phone and it was a text from Sarah saying HNY. I then realised she is never going to be gone from our lives. Our respective kids are almost grown up. AIBU to think now is the time to call this a day. I’ve never even spoken to this woman and yet I want to kill her. I hate what she has done to my marriage. Do I really want to spend the last part of my life with a man who is in love with someone else?

OP posts:
Goingootforawalk · 11/01/2026 17:45

Allisnotlost1 · 11/01/2026 17:04

I think it’s unlikely I’d have a close friendship with anyone of either sex whose values meant they would get into, or tolerate, a relationship with a partner who felt threatened by their friendships and/or told them who they could spend time with. If you and your DH are happy with enforced devotion, more power to you. Are you religious?

Same!

My best guy friend is a Christian and so is his wife. I’ve known him for almost two decades and know her for about 9 years.

She had no problem with us meeting separately the first time we met shortly before they got engaged.

I actually thought we would all go for coffee but she gave me a warm welcome when I arrived, then said she’d be back in a few hours and left us to catch up before we all met again for dinner.

She is so lovely and they are now married with two kids. She is still fine for me and her husband to pop out for coffee if I’m staying overnight at theirs, although we do tend to take the kids too. He is one of the only decent male friends I’ve got, so I’m grateful his wife supports his friendship and I’d say we are now friends too.

I’m in a new relationship but having been single for most of my 30s it can be tough as a single woman over 30 to be friends with partnered (straight) men, as some women are super paranoid about it.

To some extent I get it, but as we see on MN - a lot of the women married men cheat with are also married too. So I’m not sure why all the suspicion is reserved for single women!

cloudtreecarpet · 11/01/2026 17:49

If she was really interested in him as a romantic partner why would she have brought her husband & child to the funeral?

Surely she would have come alone and spent her time sobbing along with your husband and sharing his grief with him thus pushing you out?

As others have said -

  • advising him not to marry you at the time made sense given the career fallout he has suffered
  • the problem is your DH & not her, he's the one you should be suspicious of and angry with.

I don't think anyone should ban or feel they have to ban their spouse/partner from contacting someone or doing anything really.

Having a conversation with them & explaining how you feel should be enough for them to act in whatever way is needed to reassure you that you have nothing to worry about.
Your behaviour shows how insecure you feel in this relationship but it's your DH who is fuelling this insecurity, not Sarah.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 11/01/2026 18:41

Tulcan · 10/01/2026 20:35

I can’t believe you just let him move in with you. Or that you have such a bee in your bonnet about Sarah when she’s just living her life. She can go to funerals, it’s not “a cheek”. It’s a normal thing to do.

It’s not her fault your husband is infatuated with her.

No, but if you are married you cut contact.

3luckystars · 11/01/2026 19:10

I don’t think it says that in a marriage contract.

TwistedWonder · 11/01/2026 19:13

Mumtobabyhavoc · 11/01/2026 18:41

No, but if you are married you cut contact.

Only in a jealous controlling marriage

Mumtobabyhavoc · 11/01/2026 19:18

TwistedWonder · 11/01/2026 19:13

Only in a jealous controlling marriage

I beg to differ.
If a man was in love with me when both of us are married the right thing to do is cut contact out of respect for my husband and the other man's wife.

DarkForces · 11/01/2026 19:24

TwistedWonder · 11/01/2026 19:13

Only in a jealous controlling marriage

Exactly. If dh is going to have an affair he'll find a way. Me trying to police his friendships will make no difference at all. I completely trust him and he trusts me. I couldn't marry someone who wanted to restrict me as trust is essential to me. Nearly quarter of a century later he has proven my faith in him well placed and we both have freedom to spend time with whoever we want. If I couldn't trust him I'd end it rather than blame another woman.

DeepBlueDeer · 11/01/2026 19:26

So far as I can tell, there is nothing other than the "calling out her name" incident that suggests he is into her.

I appreciate that's a significant incident and one that can spark concern and hurt feelings, but saying the wrong name in bed is not uncommon and is far from a reliable indicator of being in love with the person whose name was said. It's largely meaningless.

Sarah hasnt done anything wrong and, save for the workplace HR aspect, I don't see that DH has done anything wrong either.

DarkForces · 11/01/2026 19:26

Mumtobabyhavoc · 11/01/2026 19:18

I beg to differ.
If a man was in love with me when both of us are married the right thing to do is cut contact out of respect for my husband and the other man's wife.

How would she know? If any of my male friends announced they loved me I'd cut them out and tell dh but I certainly don't flatter myself to imagine they are.

DeepBlueDeer · 11/01/2026 19:44

DarkForces · 11/01/2026 19:26

How would she know? If any of my male friends announced they loved me I'd cut them out and tell dh but I certainly don't flatter myself to imagine they are.

While there's no reason to think DH is in love with Sarah (that seems to be OP's jealousy and paranoia - partially understandable due to wrong name incident), Sarah must know that DH is forbidden from speaking to her, given that he's suddenly stopped speaking to her (including shunning her at his father's funeral) and has deleted her from socials. Even if DH hasnt told her it's because of OP's demands, she can presumably figure it out.

That said, I can still understand her sending a generic text after several years. In her shoes, I'd be worried her friend has found himself in an abusive relationship (which I think is indeed the case...).

Grapewrath · 11/01/2026 19:50

Sarah isn’t the problem, she’s not besotted with your DH the way he is with her (if he is because this could also be your perception)
Shes been a family friend for longer than you’ve been around so the funerals were perfectly fine to attend.
Get rid of your husband- if you’re so worried that you’re having to dictate his friends the relationship is dead and you are being controlling

DarkForces · 11/01/2026 19:50

DeepBlueDeer · 11/01/2026 19:44

While there's no reason to think DH is in love with Sarah (that seems to be OP's jealousy and paranoia - partially understandable due to wrong name incident), Sarah must know that DH is forbidden from speaking to her, given that he's suddenly stopped speaking to her (including shunning her at his father's funeral) and has deleted her from socials. Even if DH hasnt told her it's because of OP's demands, she can presumably figure it out.

That said, I can still understand her sending a generic text after several years. In her shoes, I'd be worried her friend has found himself in an abusive relationship (which I think is indeed the case...).

Edited

If someone ignored me at their mother's funeral I'd put it down to grief. She had her husband and children there for support. I wouldn't even notice being blocked on socials. I would never assume someone fancied me let alone loved me. I doubt I'm unique!

Missj25 · 11/01/2026 19:54

ponytailcapbadge · 10/01/2026 18:59

Sorry this is a name change and a long one so as not to drip feed. I would like to hear people’s opinions as I am considering leaving my DH as he is in love with someone else, lets call her Sarah. He has known Sarah since they were 4 years old. Their parents and grandparents were all friends.She is who is parents thought he should and would marry and she is utterly adored by his who family. She called his parents mum and dad. My husband claims they were never an item (although he wished they were) and they have only kissed once when they were teenagers. She’s nothing to look at but has done very well in her career. We are now all in our late 50s.
This is a second marriage for both me and DH. I met him and his DW at work. I was friends with his DW1 and she would often speak about Sarah and how much she hated her and how she had banned her husband from ever contacting her. When DH marriage broke up, I was already divorced and we started seeing each other. Unfortunately in the job we do this is utterly banned and within 2 weeks we were discovered and he was sacked on the spot. He also lost his home at the same time as it went with the job. I was protected because he was my boss and so was considered a victim. DH had to move in with me and I supported him while he searched for a new career. I wanted a commitment from him and he proposed in a very theatrical way within 6 months of us getting together and it was wonderful – or so I thought.

It turned out that he had immediately got in contact with Sarah when his marriage failed and was messaging her several times a day. They also met up at her house. She told him not to marry me. At this point I understood why DW1 hated her. We got married anyway. It’s fair to say it’s been a pretty tempestuous union. My career has skyrocketed and I’ve moved up through the ranks. He’s struggled to find work and earns now a fraction of what he did when we worked together. I knew that he still thought about her and once he called out her name during sex.
When his mother died Sarah turned up at the funeral. I was furious that she should insert herself into our family grief. When DH father died a few years later she also came to that funeral and had the cheek to bring her husband and child as well. I told him in no uncertain terms that if he spoke to her there that the marriage would be over. She glared at me the whole time.
After the funeral I said he could never speak to Sarah again and told him to remove all social media links to her. I don’t understand why Sarah’s husband hadn’t stopped them speaking to each other.
It’s been 6 years and I really thought she was out of our lives and then on NYE his phone pinged.I checked his phone and it was a text from Sarah saying HNY. I then realised she is never going to be gone from our lives. Our respective kids are almost grown up. AIBU to think now is the time to call this a day. I’ve never even spoken to this woman and yet I want to kill her. I hate what she has done to my marriage. Do I really want to spend the last part of my life with a man who is in love with someone else?

You married him after 6 months
Case closed .

Tulcan · 11/01/2026 20:00

Mumtobabyhavoc · 11/01/2026 18:41

No, but if you are married you cut contact.

She’s sent him a text, that’s it. And gone to two funerals, which I don’t think can be counted as contact.

DeepBlueDeer · 11/01/2026 20:04

DarkForces · 11/01/2026 19:50

If someone ignored me at their mother's funeral I'd put it down to grief. She had her husband and children there for support. I wouldn't even notice being blocked on socials. I would never assume someone fancied me let alone loved me. I doubt I'm unique!

I think most people probably would notice if a lifelong friend ceased contacting them (with silenece continuing for a number of years) and had blocked them on social media tbh. And isn't it normal etiquette for funeral goers to briefly speak to the deceased's family? I've always spoken to every guest at a family member's funeral, even if only for a couple of minutes.

There's no obvious reason for Sarah to assume DH is in love with her, though. I doubt it's even true that he is. Even if it were true that DH had ever been in love with Sarah (which, again, there's little reason to believe), the OP's thread title and the post itself is an unhinged reaction to DH receiving a generic holiday text.

I agree Sarah has nothing wrong.

I don't think DH has done anything wrong, in relation to Sarah, and there's no good reason to think he's in love with her.

OP seems dreadful.

Orangemintcream · 11/01/2026 20:12

I don’t believe half of this.

Anyone who is this much of a fool deserves all they get tbh.

ponytailcapbadge · 12/01/2026 12:11

thank you everyone. This has been somewhat of a unique therapy session but after a weekend to think about things, maybe I can admit I am insecure. I think it feels like Sarah has never left the building probably because DH's family still talk about her a lot. They adore her (and still see her) and I guess I dont feel the same level of love towards me and actually I wonder at times if they are laughing behind my back because they know she was "his one". My husband tells me he loves me all the time but I can't help but wonder if I'm second best. I definitely dont need him financially but I do love him and still want him. I need to do a lot of thinking.

OP posts:
Oncloud918 · 12/01/2026 14:47

ponytailcapbadge · 12/01/2026 12:11

thank you everyone. This has been somewhat of a unique therapy session but after a weekend to think about things, maybe I can admit I am insecure. I think it feels like Sarah has never left the building probably because DH's family still talk about her a lot. They adore her (and still see her) and I guess I dont feel the same level of love towards me and actually I wonder at times if they are laughing behind my back because they know she was "his one". My husband tells me he loves me all the time but I can't help but wonder if I'm second best. I definitely dont need him financially but I do love him and still want him. I need to do a lot of thinking.

How awful for you OP. My son was serious about a lovely girl for around 2 years. We were very fond of her and treated her like one of our family They were far too young & eventually parted. He is happily married to a girl we love even more. There is no way we would continue a relationship with his previous partner unless children were involved & it was unavoidable. Your DH parents should have more respect for you & distance themselves from this relationship as should Sarah when she blatantly knows her presence upsets you. The whole thing is very unfair on you. I would have a serious chat with your DH in the hope his parents will put an end to this nonsense. She has her own husband's family, she doesn't need yours.

DeepBlueDeer · 12/01/2026 15:38

Oncloud918 · 12/01/2026 14:47

How awful for you OP. My son was serious about a lovely girl for around 2 years. We were very fond of her and treated her like one of our family They were far too young & eventually parted. He is happily married to a girl we love even more. There is no way we would continue a relationship with his previous partner unless children were involved & it was unavoidable. Your DH parents should have more respect for you & distance themselves from this relationship as should Sarah when she blatantly knows her presence upsets you. The whole thing is very unfair on you. I would have a serious chat with your DH in the hope his parents will put an end to this nonsense. She has her own husband's family, she doesn't need yours.

Edited

Sarah isn't a previous partner.

DH's parents are dead.

Sartre · 12/01/2026 15:44

I’d say she’s the one who got away but they had an opportunity to get together once he divorced his first wife and for whatever reason, your H kept her in the wings but still married you. If he truly wanted to be with her, I’m sure he would have made it happen then if not the first time when they were young and he married his first wife…

Really odd that he not only didn’t make it happen with her on both occasions when he easily could have, but that he’s still kept her hanging on in the background of both marriages. He’s the wanker ultimately.

SALaw · 12/01/2026 15:45

ponytailcapbadge · 10/01/2026 19:40

ok I admit we did get together when technically he was still married ,but their marriage was over, she was extremely abusive towards him and I was a shoulder to cry on and developed from that. What I'm struggling with is why wont Sarah just leave him alone. She knows I dont like her. She knows that he is meant to be no contact with him. Why doesnt she stick with her own husband rather than messaging mine? i cant sleep since I saw that text. It makes me wonder what else is going on.

She knows you don’t like her? You say you’ve never spoken to her!! How do YOU even know you don’t like her? You’ve not said anything she’s done wrong. Maybe your husband is in love with her, maybe not, but you’ve not said anything that indicates the feeling is mutual.

SALaw · 12/01/2026 15:47

ponytailcapbadge · 12/01/2026 12:11

thank you everyone. This has been somewhat of a unique therapy session but after a weekend to think about things, maybe I can admit I am insecure. I think it feels like Sarah has never left the building probably because DH's family still talk about her a lot. They adore her (and still see her) and I guess I dont feel the same level of love towards me and actually I wonder at times if they are laughing behind my back because they know she was "his one". My husband tells me he loves me all the time but I can't help but wonder if I'm second best. I definitely dont need him financially but I do love him and still want him. I need to do a lot of thinking.

His family adore her and see her and yet you don’t understand why she attended both his parents’ funerals when she’d known them her whole life and considered them additional parents?!? You’re very very odd, OP.

SALaw · 12/01/2026 15:48

Oncloud918 · 12/01/2026 14:47

How awful for you OP. My son was serious about a lovely girl for around 2 years. We were very fond of her and treated her like one of our family They were far too young & eventually parted. He is happily married to a girl we love even more. There is no way we would continue a relationship with his previous partner unless children were involved & it was unavoidable. Your DH parents should have more respect for you & distance themselves from this relationship as should Sarah when she blatantly knows her presence upsets you. The whole thing is very unfair on you. I would have a serious chat with your DH in the hope his parents will put an end to this nonsense. She has her own husband's family, she doesn't need yours.

Edited

She isn’t an ex girlfriend. She’s a very close family friend via her own parents and OP’s in laws. If your parents had best pals with a child who was brought up with you, you wouldn’t cut them off when you married someone!

Igneococcus · 12/01/2026 16:22

I'm not convinced Sarah even knows what distress she is causing OP. She's probably not giving OP's husband all that much thought on a day to day basis.

Brightlittlecanary · 12/01/2026 17:17

Igneococcus · 12/01/2026 16:22

I'm not convinced Sarah even knows what distress she is causing OP. She's probably not giving OP's husband all that much thought on a day to day basis.

Agree and likely has no idea why the op didn’t want her ar her in-laws funeral.

the op is clearly jealous and insecure, but I fail to see what Sarah has done here, or even her husband,