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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To feel like I was made a fool of by DH again

1000 replies

MonicaGeller010203 · 28/06/2026 22:55

Almost nine years ago, DH started getting mentionitis and a pretty obvious (to me) crush on a neighbour of ours. We frequently hung out together and DC's played. Got really awkward, she knew how I felt and I always believed it highly entertained her and gave her a sense of power. She was unemployed, cash strapped and with both DC in kid , she was under pressure from her H and family to find a job. She used my DH for a lot of small favours and help and used me and the DC at times too.

Cutting to the chase, moved to a new neighbourhood to upsize to the suburbs 4-5 years ago. Lost touch with them. Last week was our 20th wedding anniv and I decided to invite them too.

H had always maintained it was a good familial friendship that i ruined with suspicion even though there was nothing there. In our new community I have a fab gang of girlfriends while he has struggled to make any, he gets along like on an acquaintance level only with their husbands, and hasn't made any other friends

I genuinely thought we had moved on from all that re 8-9 years ago low key drama. But no. He swears when I tried calling him inside to plate up his food that I was seething that he was talking to her (I swear I did not even notice who he was talking as they were sitting out in the garden in a circle, everyone else had their BBQ, and other food on plates, only he had not started yt). His friend asked me why H was not eating with the rest of us. I wish to God I had plated up food for him and taken it to him rather than call him in (for just a minute to take his food).

Later for the rest of the party, he avoided me - I had planned games in the garden for the 6 couples - like musical chairs, a couples duet singing competition that our teen kids were meant to be judging us on (all in fun) - he bailed on the whole thing , took the husband of this lady (not the other men, though one tagged along behind, and the other 2-3 were at a loose end) for a walk, and left us ladies to it, though I had told them the plan was going to be couples stuff, maybe even a little music and dance.

He sulked for the next couple of hours, though was back to something like normalcy by the time the last couple who stayed back (not the ones from the old neighbourhood) to chat and share silly stories, tea and some laughs before leaving. But for me the afternoon felt spoilt

I am not sure what my question is I think the main one is Am in AIBU to feel I was trying to do something nice for him , to show him I was more secure now or I trusted more and to feel like I was made a fool of again. Or was he somehow in the right.

OP posts:
BuckChuckets · 01/07/2026 17:11

This reply has been deleted

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BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 17:12

If your DH is also American it explains why the previous friendship group is so important to him because his family/friends are back home. So starting the sports club may also have been very important on that basis and your constant jealousy put a dampener on that.

there’s nothing that you’ve said about his friendship with her that would actually point to an affair/him wanting an affair that wasn’t just your imagination/jealousy tbh

and I’ll be honest, I have a lot of American friends and at least half of them would happily do a duet in front of 3 other couples!

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 17:17

I will say this though to be fair to H as many of you have pointed only my side has been heard on here, and you would doubt anyone who wanted to sing at a party lol.

Only I am in finance. And some of his actions / words are or can be sometimes normalised in his line of work. But actually that is probably an excuse again.

OP posts:
BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 17:22

So he’s in finance - what kind of things do you think he says that are acceptable at work? The negative things he has said to you certainly aren’t!

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 17:27

Read my post again Beardy, he is not

OP posts:
MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 17:30

Sorry hes not in finance ie

OP posts:
MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 17:33

BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 17:12

If your DH is also American it explains why the previous friendship group is so important to him because his family/friends are back home. So starting the sports club may also have been very important on that basis and your constant jealousy put a dampener on that.

there’s nothing that you’ve said about his friendship with her that would actually point to an affair/him wanting an affair that wasn’t just your imagination/jealousy tbh

and I’ll be honest, I have a lot of American friends and at least half of them would happily do a duet in front of 3 other couples!

I did not ask him to disengage from the whole friendship group, only her.

And @Dontwearmysocks , have you ever been gaslit?

What right did he ever have then to block my high school friend of my phone for just saying wow is that you now in your DP. This was in 2019 and right when he could have at least just let me be in my pathetic self soothing after he let the whole local community through his actions that the club and her were more important than me.

OP posts:
Dontwearmysocks · 01/07/2026 17:37

he could have at least just let me be in my pathetic self soothing

Sorry but you seem determined to paint an overly dramatic picture of you being a victim, when in fact only having your side of the story, you come off just as manipulative as him, if in fact he is as bad as you make out.

BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 17:41

He wanted you to block the guy because you’d had an affair and he doesn’t trust you

doesn’t mean he can’t be a hypocrite!

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 17:42

BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 17:12

If your DH is also American it explains why the previous friendship group is so important to him because his family/friends are back home. So starting the sports club may also have been very important on that basis and your constant jealousy put a dampener on that.

there’s nothing that you’ve said about his friendship with her that would actually point to an affair/him wanting an affair that wasn’t just your imagination/jealousy tbh

and I’ll be honest, I have a lot of American friends and at least half of them would happily do a duet in front of 3 other couples!

OK wait I have remembered an incident now that may help you see what I see. And also lol about half your friends happily dancing haha.

Once in 2018 when I was in the throes of it, and imagining an affair, I suddenly saw he was last seen on whatsapp at 14.18 and she was too. Now, I'm not proud of this, but I called my friend immediately to ask her what she thought.

I had thought they were chatting in the middle of the workday when he had told me he was in meetings the whole day , cudnt do the pick up that day etc, but my friend actually said what if they're meeting then , which unfortunately probably just made it all worse, my anxiety.

He would not pick my calls

I admit I called a long time friend of ours and his colleague to ask if he could see H in the office and ask him to call me back. He did an hour or two later, having got the message and ofc understandably he was not pleased.

But the point of the story is, he told her about it, the assistant. He told her how crazy I was being (she knew by then through just my actions , leaving her group, and her reaching out to my friends but still) - is it not one thing for her to know in general already that I am feeling insecure, and for him to laughingly tell her about me panicking at 14.18 on both phones and how ridiculous it was? No affair I agree perhaps, but such closeness and disrespecting your wife to another woman?

Gah I wanted to be calm for tonight

OP posts:
MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 17:44

Dontwearmysocks · 01/07/2026 17:37

he could have at least just let me be in my pathetic self soothing

Sorry but you seem determined to paint an overly dramatic picture of you being a victim, when in fact only having your side of the story, you come off just as manipulative as him, if in fact he is as bad as you make out.

Edited

How was I manipulative. Genuinely asking not challengingly, perhaps I have blind spots and can't see it? I told him within two weeks of liking the other guy, I am pathetic & immature and worryingly optimistic sometimes but not manipulative

OP posts:
MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 17:47

BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 17:41

He wanted you to block the guy because you’d had an affair and he doesn’t trust you

doesn’t mean he can’t be a hypocrite!

I did not have an affair though. I only met the guy once during an annual introductory conference in DC and we werent even friends at that time , not till months later. He also did not suggest an affair with any seriousness, more like we can date and 'progress our relationship' if you leave your marriage and are single. Neither of ever suggested meeting only to hook up. Esp not me.

All he kept saying was why do you never stand up for yourself with H

After a few months and H called him and spoke to him very rudely, he moved on and got another girlfriend. I helped him pick girls for him to start dating from online profiles and she was one. Married with kids now to her

OP posts:
BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 17:49

You were going to leave your husband for him. It may have not been physical but it was emotional

and you say you told your h after two weeks but upthread you said you were in love with the other man

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 18:00

BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 17:49

You were going to leave your husband for him. It may have not been physical but it was emotional

and you say you told your h after two weeks but upthread you said you were in love with the other man

Joined the office - June 2013
Started becoming friends - July 2013
Realised crush for first time since 2002 with someone other than H - end of July 2013
Told H think I have crush , should we divorce, maybe you were right and we are not compatible - August 2013
September and October 2013 - continued everyday chats with team peer during the afternoons in the window of 3 hours when his 9am was 1pm here
October 2013 - resigned and withdrew resignation
October 2013 - asked H for divorce again so I can be single and date friend
October 2013 - H called friend and yelled
Nov , Dec - Friend realised I was going no where , taking no steps to leave home
Jan /Feb 2014 - he started dating someone else
March 2014 - last window of opportunity, he asked if I was definitely not going to leave and he would progress beyond casual dating with new gf
April/May 2014 - his gf moved in with him
June 2014 - I left the job, and H deleted him off my phone etc

After that I only just see his posts on FB sometimes the public ones anyone can see of the wedding and the baby. I am glad I never left, as my DSs would have definitely been impacted I know that now. I have apologised a million times to H and done everything I could to make it up. This would not have happened if not for the cleaner and the singapore call incident.

Gah.

OP posts:
OneSparklyGoat · 01/07/2026 18:04

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 18:00

Joined the office - June 2013
Started becoming friends - July 2013
Realised crush for first time since 2002 with someone other than H - end of July 2013
Told H think I have crush , should we divorce, maybe you were right and we are not compatible - August 2013
September and October 2013 - continued everyday chats with team peer during the afternoons in the window of 3 hours when his 9am was 1pm here
October 2013 - resigned and withdrew resignation
October 2013 - asked H for divorce again so I can be single and date friend
October 2013 - H called friend and yelled
Nov , Dec - Friend realised I was going no where , taking no steps to leave home
Jan /Feb 2014 - he started dating someone else
March 2014 - last window of opportunity, he asked if I was definitely not going to leave and he would progress beyond casual dating with new gf
April/May 2014 - his gf moved in with him
June 2014 - I left the job, and H deleted him off my phone etc

After that I only just see his posts on FB sometimes the public ones anyone can see of the wedding and the baby. I am glad I never left, as my DSs would have definitely been impacted I know that now. I have apologised a million times to H and done everything I could to make it up. This would not have happened if not for the cleaner and the singapore call incident.

Gah.

I would not be able to forgive you for this.

Passingthrough123 · 01/07/2026 18:04

Aren't you due to start your intro counselling session in 40 minutes?

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 18:08

OneSparklyGoat · 01/07/2026 18:04

I would not be able to forgive you for this.

:-(

But you would have let me leave and agreed to a rationale custody sharing arrangement? He did not. But I am glad now he did not because I had DSs every single minute that they weren't at school not just 3.5 days a week.

I could never wish it different and I am grateful he did what he did back then for DSs

OP posts:
MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 18:09

Passingthrough123 · 01/07/2026 18:04

Aren't you due to start your intro counselling session in 40 minutes?

Ah Passing through.....

All of us together again ....Socks is around too....

OP posts:
Passingthrough123 · 01/07/2026 18:12

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 18:09

Ah Passing through.....

All of us together again ....Socks is around too....

Just asking a question, that's all.

OneSparklyGoat · 01/07/2026 18:12

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 18:08

:-(

But you would have let me leave and agreed to a rationale custody sharing arrangement? He did not. But I am glad now he did not because I had DSs every single minute that they weren't at school not just 3.5 days a week.

I could never wish it different and I am grateful he did what he did back then for DSs

I don’t know what I would have done for the sake of my children. But I’d be damned if you’d tell me I can’t be friends with anyone after this.

I’m trying to reconcile how you think DH going for a walk WITH A WOMANS’ HUSBAND is on par with you telling him you wanted to leave him for another man.

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 18:15

OneSparklyGoat · 01/07/2026 18:12

I don’t know what I would have done for the sake of my children. But I’d be damned if you’d tell me I can’t be friends with anyone after this.

I’m trying to reconcile how you think DH going for a walk WITH A WOMANS’ HUSBAND is on par with you telling him you wanted to leave him for another man.

What about what he did with the cleaner though?

Okay Sparky, here is a thought for you. Infidelity versus Abuse/Gaslighting/Control.

Take your pick. Ughh. Ashamed/Cant believe this is/was my life.

OP posts:
BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 18:16

You’re painting yourself as the victim and him as the villain but it’s clearly more nuanced and that’s part of what you need to address

MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 18:17

Where did I say he cannot be friends though. When he first asked her to be his assistant, I remember I told her I am so grateful, now we have at least one real grown up to adult and check on any kids missing etc, hahaha

Before he said she was the most perfect woman to walk this earth by actions, and also his camera was full of her pics only remember, xmas of 2017

How am I even still standing. this much drama in one marriage is not normal at all right?

OP posts:
MonicaGeller010203 · 01/07/2026 18:18

BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 18:16

You’re painting yourself as the victim and him as the villain but it’s clearly more nuanced and that’s part of what you need to address

Agree

OP posts:
BeardySchnauzer · 01/07/2026 18:19

Yes it is far too much drama but you have to recognise your part in it all

inviting her to the party shows you love a bit of drama

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