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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Should I leave?

11 replies

elizabethxxx · 18/02/2026 21:42

Hello :) I posted about this a bit last year but gonna try again as idk what to do!

my partner and I had a rocky start to our relationship, he asked me to lose weight, spoke to ex’s (nothing untoward) but then would never be open about it, went on hinge etc. but it was the early days of our relationship so I kind of forgot about it but the trust issues / insecurity has still always been there a bit.

fast forward a year we move back down to Cornwall (where I’m from) from London. I move down a month before him so he’s still in London. I notice he starts to follow a new girl from work (he’s a delivery driver). I ask him about it and he said she just messaged him about work (on insta)?? I ask him to show me and he said he has deleted it. I give him the benefit of the doubt and he moves down a few weeks later.

3 months in (September 2024) I fall pregnant, it wasn’t planned at all. Everything is going well until about January and I get a bit panicked and insecure again (probs the hormones) and ask to see his insta. He very shakily shows me, all I see is messages from his ex from ages ago and another girl I know is just a friend from Denmark (he’s used to live there) I’m totally okay with this and we move on. Though I did find it weird he was so shaky and sketchy.

about a month after we have the baby we go out for lunch just me and him. We talk about our fave pubs and he talks about his in London, I ask him who he went with (because he’s not a big pub person at all) and he mentions this girl from Denmark. I ask him if they’ve ever been more than friends and he says no, but acts very weird about it. We argue about this for a few weeks and it turns out they were together for a while but decided be friends. I am obvs very hurt he’s lied about it for so long, but also decided message her and say hey when I was pregnant. He knows I have quite strong boundaries when it comes to messaging girls he’s been with physically. I was a month postpartum or so at this point and very upset naturally. We make a pact that if we stay together he will be transparent with his phone and show me/ tell me who he’s speaking too (if anyone, from his past or present).

iv never abused this power since and never asked once since then (9 months ago) But last Saturday I did. He showed his WhatsApp messages from afar, but when I asked about the insta ones (as this has been the ones we’ve had issues with before) he walked away. And when I walked after him he went upstairs then told me to stand 2 feet away. At this point I’m in tears, and just wanna know. His excuse for running off is that he didn’t want me to see the half naked girls on insta feed and that he couldn’t find the new Instagram message button (granted it has recently changed). But this was not being transparent ? And I’m pretty sure he deleted things and that’s why he’s run off. worst of all I noticed he’s deleted all the messages from the girl he was with before me. He never deleted these before and it’s got me thinking why? And not the other girls?

iv asked him to leave as we keep arguing. He’s viewing a new place tomorrow. I wanted him to go as irs not like we’ve ended amicably and the relationship has come to a natural end. We’ve broken up because he’s clearly hid something from me which he will never tell me about now and will deny. He keeps blaming me saying he was scared of my reaction. But surely if there’s nothing to hide why would he be scared? Now he’s deleted whatever he’s deleted he will deny it forever. When we argued the other night he said it was all my fault and I’m breaking up our family etc.

im heartbroken, I feel lost, empty. And worst of all I still love him. But if he’s broken out transparency agreement I don’t see a way out of this.

AIBU???? Xx Thankyou

OP posts:
MidWayThruJanuary · 18/02/2026 21:50

I’d walk away if I were you. There is no relationship worth saving.

Quitelikeit · 18/02/2026 21:55

Honestly this guy might love you but he clearly isn’t ready to settle down

I’d say he’s messaging others (at the very least) and I’d rather be on my own than live with the daily suspicion

Suzi9989I · 18/02/2026 22:23

You deserve better, what would you say to ur best friend or sister in same situation. You'd know what to do. This may be hard now but stop wasting time with this person. There's no trust.

Endofyear · 18/02/2026 22:27

Well, you don't trust him, and with good reason. I don't see any other choice but to walk away to be honest. He's not a keeper.

tsmainsqueeze · 18/02/2026 22:32

You don't trust him, but I don't think he deserves your trust anyway.
Your life will be so much more peaceful without someone like him.

ValidPistachio · 18/02/2026 22:33

Let me guess. The advice last time was to leave, but you ignored it?

InterestedDad37 · 18/02/2026 22:35

I can't see any reason whatsoever why you two would be (or ever have been) together 🤷

toomuchfaff · 19/02/2026 14:08

Just leave him in your rearview. Stop entertaining this absolute BS. You are probably trauma bonded to this cheat loser; who has convinced you that everything they do is reasonable and youre the bad one for ever doubting.

Not once have I ever mistrusted my husband enough to consoder putting in place a "boundary" (its not a boundary by the way) that they dont message other women they have been intimate with.

Its not a boundary, because a boundary is what YOU control, not what they do or any ultimatuns associated.

The boundary would have been "I wont tolerate you messaging other women you have been intimate with" - thats it, when it happened you should have left there and then, thats a boundary. No addition of "i want to be able to check your phone" or any other bullshit like "or im leaving" thats an ultimatum and its controlling behavior. A boundary is what YOU control, its not to control them.

So stop entertaining his bullshit. Hes a grown adult, he made choices - and by those choices he told you everything you didnt want to hear, that he doesnt respect you, he doesnt value your relationship and he cant be trusted. So its done.

Well done, walk away.

Swiftie1878 · 19/02/2026 14:15

What was the advice last time? To leave? And you ignored it?

So why are you asking again when things have deteriorated and now you have a child mixed up in the mess?

Leave him. Of course you should leave him.
You should have left him last time.

But you won’t listen…. So see you with the next instalment next year.

S0j0urn4r · 19/02/2026 16:43

Taxi!

MammaBear1 · 19/02/2026 16:52

He sounds like he’s broken your trust many times already and you’re feeling constantly uneasy and he isn’t bothering to even try to provide you with some reassurance.

It’s been that many occasions that I feel as though it will be virtually impossible for you to trust him and be relaxed about your relationship again.

It’s no way to live. If you were my friend, I’d ask you to ask yourself if you still want to be living like this in a year/5 years/10 years. If the answer is no, then you know what to do.

It’s scary to start over, especially with a child, but you deserve better.

You’ve had a few harsh responses on here but I hope you find the best decision for you and your child.

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