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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To have confronted DH's cousin for flirting with him?

543 replies

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 13:56

My husband and I have been together for 18 years, married for 12. We have two children, aged 15 and 13.

Years ago, long before our relationship, when DH and his female 1st cousin were teenagers, they had a brief, secret relationship with each other.

At first, I thought they just slept together, but over the years DH confided in me that he had slept with her once while staying at her house for a week during the summer holidays when they were both 16, but that they also wanted to be together but knew they could never tell anyone.

They lived in different parts of the country and rarely ever saw each other.

My DH has told me he's actually quite angry with his parents for putting them in this position. They were teenagers, who didn't grow up together, rarely saw each other, and yet when the family would meet up once or twice a year, they would always stay over and the kids would be put in the same room, on bunk beds and camp beds, without any thought of the fact that they were developing and going through puberty, just assuming they were innocent kids. He says the curiousity and strong feelings were inevitable and his parents and other adults should have been more responsible.

Anyway, noone at all knows what happened except DH, the cousin, and me.

When they reached young adulthood, the cousin emigrated to a different country and DH and I have only seen her twice in the last 15 years.
However, we are all currently all Holiday together! MIL recently won a large amount of money and took the whole extended family, 17 of us in total, away on a huge Holiday. Cousin is here.

We have been drinking every night and cousin, who is now in her late 30s, and doesn't have a husband or kids of her own, keeps relentlessly saying flirting with DH. Telling him he looks great in shorts, whistling when he takes his top off on the beach, making silly sexual jokes, and hugging him by coming up behind him and resting her head on his shoulder. Noone else seems to notice and DH says not to worry about it as he doesn't feel anything for her and nothing is going to happen and she's just being playful.
But I've noticed she's not like it with any other males here. Just DH.

The final straw for me came last night when she sat on DH's lap while we were all sitting around drinking and put her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek.

DH just laughed and told her to get up then got up himself and went to the bar.

Again, we had all had quite a lot to drink.

A few minutes later, I went off to the toilet and she was coming back towards me. She was quite drunk and came over with her arms out in front of her to give me a hug. I stepped away and looked her right in the face. I said "Stop flirting with my husband. Don't think I don't know your history. If you come anywhere near him again, I will tell everyone about you two." She looked utterly shocked. I walked away. She must have gone straight to bed.
Today, she's been really quiet all day. Everyone's commented on it but they've just assumed she's really hungover.

MIL and I were sitting on the beach and she commented that this trip has been good for her. She's had a hard time lately as a bloke she was going to marry cheated on her with his ex wife and then went back to her. She's really benefitting from being with family to support her as she's so alone out there.

I feel really guilty for saying that to her last night. I just got so jealous seeing her sitting in his lap, looking amazing in her tiny sundress, knowing their history and she was probably his first love, and felt so insecure. The stupid fling they had was so long ago and they were young and I know at least DH deeply regrets it and is embarrassed about it.

I'm worried I've now ruined her holiday. I didn't know she was going through that. I've been chatting to her to be friendly and get to know her but she never mentioned it

Was I unreasonable?

OP posts:
Lampzade · 05/05/2026 14:55

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 14:42

Going by the look on her face when I said what I said, I am 90% sure she had no idea I know.

I will give your dh credit for telling you tbh. There are so many who wouldn’t have said a word given how inappropriate the relationship was
I think that you were justified in your reaction because knowing what had happened with your dh his cousin still thought it was ok to flirt with him
I don’t think that you should have threatened to tell anyone though

orangegato · 05/05/2026 14:55

pinkyredrose · 05/05/2026 14:54

He says the curiousity and strong feelings were inevitable and his parents and other adults should have been more responsible.

Your poor husband being put in a position where he had no option but to shag his cousin.

How bloody pathetic.

Also this. Parents fault?!!!! Good grief at least own it.

orangegato · 05/05/2026 14:57

Lampzade · 05/05/2026 14:55

I will give your dh credit for telling you tbh. There are so many who wouldn’t have said a word given how inappropriate the relationship was
I think that you were justified in your reaction because knowing what had happened with your dh his cousin still thought it was ok to flirt with him
I don’t think that you should have threatened to tell anyone though

She absolutely should, the woman was taking the piss rubbing her nose in it taking her for a mug.

This is just what she needed to back off. Worked a treat.

SerafinasGoose · 05/05/2026 14:58

The situation seems concluded now, so I'm unsure precisely what it's possible to do about it, OP. If this incident has ruined her holiday, too late. And whether you 'should' have said anything or otherwise is moot. You can't unsay it now.

I'd not say anything further to her. Least said, soonest mended. There are other family members to consider and you don't want things marred for them too. And if she approaches you you'd be wise to refuse to discuss it further.

Your husband is another matter. He's the one who could have de-escalated this to begin with by refusing to entertain her behaviour. This would be the major problem for me. If this is what he does when you're present, it would have to make me wonder how he behaves when your back is turned. And I'd be having a serious conversation to him to that effect.

Either way it's your husband, not his cousin, who made marriage views to you and who owes you his loyalty. This is all on him.

LoyalMember · 05/05/2026 14:58

No, you didn't act wrongly in your reaction, but, Holy Fuck, what's your hubby all about blaming his parents for what happened when they were teenagers? Nobody in their right mind would expect cousins to shag each other in the first place. That's on them 100%.

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 14:58

TheBlueKoala · 05/05/2026 14:51

YANBU @Temporaryusernamename . She was flirting with your husband, sitting in his knee and complementing him. Vile. Don't feel guilty for standing up to her but why didn't your dh put her in place? Because now she might think that he's in to her but you're standing in the way🤷‍♀️

I don't know why. DH and I are great. We have never one, in all these years, had any issues with jealousy. No suspicions or suspicious behaviour. He never comments on other women or flirts even a little bit. I've always felt he's totally loyal to me and I to him.

Most of me thinks he simply doesn't take her seriously. Thinks she's just drunk and silly.

But a tiny niggling doubt is making me wonder if maybe he is into her and is enjoying it, knowing people will never suspect.
She's absolutely gorgeous, and wild and fun and seemingly carefree and wears bikinis and tiny shorts and tight little dresses and there's me, a dumpy mum of two.

But then I think surely if he is into her he wouldn't be so obvious on front of me, knowing I know the history? So maybe he just thinks it's nothing.

So there's this back and forth in my mind, mixed with alcohol and heat which she (probably deservedly) got the brunt of.

I need to talk to DH don't I?

OP posts:
radiator2 · 05/05/2026 14:58

YANBU. This definitely doesn’t paint your husband in a positive light. He slept with his cousin, blamed it on everyone else and all these years later is engaging with her flirting with him. He needs to put some boundaries in place and tell her to stop. Sounds like they don’t regret it as much as they claim.

outerspacepotato · 05/05/2026 15:00

ItsNotMeEither · 05/05/2026 14:31

If you want to smooth things over a little, for the sake of family harmony, pull her aside, just say sorry you were so harsh/or sharp with her, you know they were only teens and that you’d like to move on and enjoy the holiday.

It’s not saying you’re happy for her to flirt, just sorry for being sharp about it.

it give you both a chance to enjoy the rest of the holiday, but she will still know that you’ve fired a warning shot.

Why should OP back down and be a doormat when the cousin was being sexually inappropriate with OP's husband in a group setting?

Cousin owes apologies all around for her stupid drunken behaviour. Now that she knows OP isn't having it, I bet she tones her act down.

FAFO for cousin.

Shortbreadel · 05/05/2026 15:01

Her behaviour was inappropriate. You did nothing wrong.

Anyahyacinth · 05/05/2026 15:01

As told

You did totally the right thing OP, it sounds like the cousin has a penchant for attached men. I think you did a sensible and brave thing 💐

RandomMess · 05/05/2026 15:02

I understand why you said what you did but I would speak to her today and say you realise she was drunk and you are happy to draw a line under it but the flirting is inappropriate and icky especially with the history.

Newnamenancy90 · 05/05/2026 15:04

Well done for putting her in her place!!!

MyDeftDuck · 05/05/2026 15:05

YANBU…..she behaved like a total cow! Stop feeling guilty and enjoy the holiday…….if total cow wants to sulk then that’s on her. She behaved like a slapper, not you!

Lampzade · 05/05/2026 15:06

Op, you definitely need to speak to your dh.

PlacidPenelope · 05/05/2026 15:09

I need to talk to DH don't I?

Yes you do @Temporaryusernamename your DH should have shut down her flirting and inappropriate behaviour towards him immediately especially in view of their history and your knowledge of it. I suspect the reason he didn't is because he was thoroughly enjoying the attention, he has been very disrespectful to you, you need to call him out on it he could and should have stopped it straight away.

BusyExpert · 05/05/2026 15:12

Ask yourself this question
would I have been more tolerant of her behaviour if I had known of her recent problems?
If it was me I may have understood the impetus for her behaviour but I would still have been angry about the inappropriateness of it.

Dont give it a second thought. You didn’t make a scene in front of others, and there was nothing wrong in what you said.
neither you or your husband are responsible for her recent woes.

OneShyQuail · 05/05/2026 15:14

Wow.

Gross.

But you know what's more gross?

The fact your husband entertained her attention on this holiday.

That is just abhorrent. Why did he not tell her straight, privately with you there, as a united front.

The whole thing is just ick.

ohyesido · 05/05/2026 15:14

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arethereanyleftatall · 05/05/2026 15:16

Your husband blaming his parents because he shagged his own cousin at 16 is absolutely ridiculous.

outerspacepotato · 05/05/2026 15:17

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 14:58

I don't know why. DH and I are great. We have never one, in all these years, had any issues with jealousy. No suspicions or suspicious behaviour. He never comments on other women or flirts even a little bit. I've always felt he's totally loyal to me and I to him.

Most of me thinks he simply doesn't take her seriously. Thinks she's just drunk and silly.

But a tiny niggling doubt is making me wonder if maybe he is into her and is enjoying it, knowing people will never suspect.
She's absolutely gorgeous, and wild and fun and seemingly carefree and wears bikinis and tiny shorts and tight little dresses and there's me, a dumpy mum of two.

But then I think surely if he is into her he wouldn't be so obvious on front of me, knowing I know the history? So maybe he just thinks it's nothing.

So there's this back and forth in my mind, mixed with alcohol and heat which she (probably deservedly) got the brunt of.

I need to talk to DH don't I?

Yes, you need to have a talk with him.

If he didn't shut down such sexually inappropriate behaviour, he got something from it. Maybe it's just the ego strokes, but he really should have stopped that dead in its tracks. Mad disrespect to you from the both of them. That they banged as teens makes it even more disrespectful. She's in for a rerun and he didn't shut her down and you need to address that with him.

He played the victim instead of taking responsibility for banging his cousin on vacation. This is another version of that. Oh, poor him, Cousin came on to him, what could he do?

If they're so intent on keeping the fact they had sex as teens secret, why are they playing with fire in front of you, his wife, and their family? Ask him that.

OneShyQuail · 05/05/2026 15:17

And your husband blaming his parents for shagging his cousin?! Jesuzzzzzz 😱

Beachtastic · 05/05/2026 15:18

I think what you did was OK in the heat of the moment, OP. But you also say this:

I feel really guilty for saying that to her last night. I just got so jealous seeing her sitting in his lap, looking amazing in her tiny sundress, knowing their history and she was probably his first love, and felt so insecure. The stupid fling they had was so long ago and they were young and I know at least DH deeply regrets it and is embarrassed about it.
I'm worried I've now ruined her holiday. I didn't know she was going through that.

You could always have that conversation with her in a quiet moment?

Temporaryusernamename · 05/05/2026 15:20

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Like I said, I didn't know she was going through that until MIL told me today.
That's why I feel so bad

OP posts:
FeliciaFancybottom · 05/05/2026 15:24

He says the curiousity and strong feelings were inevitable and his parents and other adults should have been more responsible

Erm...nope, it wasn't inevitable that they would have sex. Tell him to own his part in it and stop blaming other people.

ConstanzeMozart · 05/05/2026 15:25

She behaved badly. Her other life problems don't matter.
Your Dh should have stood up to her properly though.

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