Help end medical misogyny. Sign our petition.

Help end medical misogyny.
Sign our petition.

Sign the petition

Please or to access all these features

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:
LBFseBrom · 29/06/2026 03:01

OriginalUsername2 · 29/06/2026 02:56

Inviting a woman who’s existence caused problems in your marriage, who neither of you have seen for years, to your new big house, to celebrate your anniversary, to play musical chairs and have singing competitions in the garden… is all so very, very strange to me!

Not just to you, Original. Strange all round.

MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 03:02

OriginalUsername2 · 29/06/2026 02:56

Inviting a woman who’s existence caused problems in your marriage, who neither of you have seen for years, to your new big house, to celebrate your anniversary, to play musical chairs and have singing competitions in the garden… is all so very, very strange to me!

I guess the strange thing was that I believed him when for 9 years he said it was only my silly imagination and they were /are just good friends

My fertile imagination he said

I only suggested song and dance, musical chairs was her idea actually. I said the teens might like that
Anyway he was long gone and so were all the DC who went to throw some hoops up front

OP posts:
MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 03:03

To the 41pc who said YANBU

Should I LTB

OP posts:
HedgehogSam · 29/06/2026 03:05

MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 02:08

That's just it though , I cannot believe that the me I believe I am (sorry tongue twister) would envy this woman

I am - Loyal to my friends and family, kind, funny, empathetic, spiritual, gentle, sweet

she is - mean, user, manipulative, unkind, gossipy, shallow, superficial, lazy

if I am jealous of her , then I must leave this marriage.

I can't follow this logic, honestly. "If I am jealous of her, then I must leave this marriage." What? Why? That sounds like yet another attempt to manufacture drama for some unfathomable reason.

Bizarrely, you keep referring to characters and incidents from "Friends" as though they were somehow relevant to your life. You're not a character in a TV sitcom. Human beings aren't made up of 100% positive or negative traits. Believing that you are perfect and this woman is evil will lead you nowhere.

MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 03:07

LBFseBrom · 29/06/2026 03:00

I dread to think what song you had chosen.

How on earth did your children cope with even the idea of that?

Islands in the stream, Beckham version......

or Chicago/Peter C's if you leave me now - which was (the first song) on a mix CD he made for me in 2002

The point was to have it be sappy fun with wine and hamming it up style singing
like last year's dancing

so he had suggested splitting it up into two events this anniversary and the new group in a potluck lunch in two weeks, have just cancelled it. I'd rather sing a duet with the homeless guy who hovers around my work place.

OP posts:
MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 03:09

HedgehogSam · 29/06/2026 03:05

I can't follow this logic, honestly. "If I am jealous of her, then I must leave this marriage." What? Why? That sounds like yet another attempt to manufacture drama for some unfathomable reason.

Bizarrely, you keep referring to characters and incidents from "Friends" as though they were somehow relevant to your life. You're not a character in a TV sitcom. Human beings aren't made up of 100% positive or negative traits. Believing that you are perfect and this woman is evil will lead you nowhere.

Its just a random user name I came up with to name change to post about this fiasco anonymously

then the irony in the similarities struck re the lame party planning with everyone saying the party sounds cringe

sigh

endless night

OP posts:
MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 03:11

HedgehogSam · 29/06/2026 03:05

I can't follow this logic, honestly. "If I am jealous of her, then I must leave this marriage." What? Why? That sounds like yet another attempt to manufacture drama for some unfathomable reason.

Bizarrely, you keep referring to characters and incidents from "Friends" as though they were somehow relevant to your life. You're not a character in a TV sitcom. Human beings aren't made up of 100% positive or negative traits. Believing that you are perfect and this woman is evil will lead you nowhere.

Oh shes beautiful, dazzling , sexy, fit, thin, dresses hot, I can go on

and he is shallow as hell and I have wasted decades of my life on this superficial tiny dickhead

OP posts:
Peakyblinder18 · 29/06/2026 03:12

@MonicaGeller010203 you raked up difficulties in past into your new upgraded environment, friends and home.
Wtf did you actually think that would achieve?
Were you trying to show off, if so it came back to smack you in the the face, didn't it?
No wonder your dh is pissed off with you.
You must have deeply embarrassed him and amused your adversary to the point of the best party invitation story ever.
Musical chairs indeed 😎

OneSparklyGoat · 29/06/2026 03:12

No judgement, but are you actually still drunk?

If so, hydrate yourself, take an aspirin, eat if you can and get to bed. It’s very late and this will all look different in the morning.

I am sorry the party didn’t work out. It wasn’t a cringe plan; it all sounds fun. But inviting someone who you think talked behind your back and laughed at your jealousy was a bad idea.

MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 03:19

OneSparklyGoat · 29/06/2026 03:12

No judgement, but are you actually still drunk?

If so, hydrate yourself, take an aspirin, eat if you can and get to bed. It’s very late and this will all look different in the morning.

I am sorry the party didn’t work out. It wasn’t a cringe plan; it all sounds fun. But inviting someone who you think talked behind your back and laughed at your jealousy was a bad idea.

Edited

Thank you for the kind words, I'm going to make him rregret this @OneSparklyGoat

This is not going to go the way it did do down 9 years ago
he liked the pick me dance, balding old man.....

cried out yes will sleep thanks...first world shallow problems

OP posts:
HedgehogSam · 29/06/2026 03:24

There's a saying in Russian: The morning is wiser than the evening. You've been obsessing for hours, working yourself into a panic when you'd be better off just going to bed. You may feel very differently tomorrow. At the very least, you'll have a clear head and you'll be able to look at things more rationally.

Peakyblinder18 · 29/06/2026 03:27

MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 03:19

Thank you for the kind words, I'm going to make him rregret this @OneSparklyGoat

This is not going to go the way it did do down 9 years ago
he liked the pick me dance, balding old man.....

cried out yes will sleep thanks...first world shallow problems

You brought it on yourself and you know it.
What a ridiculous thing to do.

LBFseBrom · 29/06/2026 03:27

MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 03:02

I guess the strange thing was that I believed him when for 9 years he said it was only my silly imagination and they were /are just good friends

My fertile imagination he said

I only suggested song and dance, musical chairs was her idea actually. I said the teens might like that
Anyway he was long gone and so were all the DC who went to throw some hoops up front

Were/are they not just good friends?

OneSparklyGoat · 29/06/2026 03:29

MonicaGeller010203 · 29/06/2026 03:19

Thank you for the kind words, I'm going to make him rregret this @OneSparklyGoat

This is not going to go the way it did do down 9 years ago
he liked the pick me dance, balding old man.....

cried out yes will sleep thanks...first world shallow problems

Not shallow. But put it down for now.

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 29/06/2026 03:35

Is there any evidence there was ever anything going on?

Or have you just written an imaginary tale

grinandslothit · 29/06/2026 03:51

Apparently you've had too much to drink. Is that a regular issue?

You had the prime opportunity to completely forget about this woman when you moved but for some reason you didn't and then your later post said you met up with them a couple times since you moved

You don't even seem to like her so stop inviting them to things just ghost them

How does your DH treat you in general? Has he been a twat to you and other ways?

I had a DSis who did something similar to what you did and yeah it was cringe

For one of their wedding anniversaries they had a vow renewal at the resort and restaurant where her twatish DH cheated on her with one of his employees. He was a cook there.

I think she booked a time at the restaurant when she knew that woman would be working and swanned in their dressed up then showing pictures on social media of her new ring and stuff

It was cringe and I was embarrassed for her but you couldn't tell her anything at the time I think she was just trying to prove she won

In this case, her DH is a complete twat bellend

Pansykavalier · 29/06/2026 04:18

I'm going to make him rregret this

I sincerely hope that you are fast asleep now and that you will be more rational and coherent when you wake up.

Please, for your sake, don’t do anything until you have had time to reflect.

And get counselling.

DimwittedSkater · 29/06/2026 04:40

nomas · 28/06/2026 23:04

He sounds like knob, you don’t need to prove anything to him.

I would forget about pleasing him and think about whether you want to stay married to such a petulant dickhead.

Yep. Another man-baby spoiling a nice event. I'M SHOCKED. Fucking arsehole.

DimwittedSkater · 29/06/2026 04:41

grinandslothit · 29/06/2026 03:51

Apparently you've had too much to drink. Is that a regular issue?

You had the prime opportunity to completely forget about this woman when you moved but for some reason you didn't and then your later post said you met up with them a couple times since you moved

You don't even seem to like her so stop inviting them to things just ghost them

How does your DH treat you in general? Has he been a twat to you and other ways?

I had a DSis who did something similar to what you did and yeah it was cringe

For one of their wedding anniversaries they had a vow renewal at the resort and restaurant where her twatish DH cheated on her with one of his employees. He was a cook there.

I think she booked a time at the restaurant when she knew that woman would be working and swanned in their dressed up then showing pictures on social media of her new ring and stuff

It was cringe and I was embarrassed for her but you couldn't tell her anything at the time I think she was just trying to prove she won

In this case, her DH is a complete twat bellend

Won? Won a man who betrays his spouse? Winning would have been letting her have him!

Pickledonions12 · 29/06/2026 04:50

wishfulthinking25 · 28/06/2026 23:11

You made a rod for your own back by inviting her

This ^

Absolutely crazy to invite her. H is not trustworthy imo and you decided to stick with the marriage

Don't poke the bear

Calendulaaria · 29/06/2026 05:16

Interesting that you invited her to your 20th anniversary. Seems the problem had been left behind but then you invited it in again? Not sure.

Newcybrown · 29/06/2026 05:17

You keep mentioning he has been saying nothing happened for 9 years, that is what I am most curious about?

Has it regularly come up over the last 9 years? How? Do you bring it up or does he? I would think that when you had moved and lost touch with them that it wouldn't come up much but it seems by your posts that it's a regular topic of conversation for the last 9 years? Or does it not come up at all and you have it on your mind regularly?

Either way, if it comes up this much or it's still on your mind there are some clear insecurities in your relationship for it to be going for this long. I feel for the child who has noticed it all really. They may be an adult but they shouldn't know about this kind of intimate detail in your marriage OP.

Empress13 · 29/06/2026 05:23

What’s mentionitis that your DH has? I found the whole story weird and like PP couldn’t keep up. But yeh weird you invited her

Empress13 · 29/06/2026 05:31

Createausername1970 · 28/06/2026 23:38

You and me too!!

I am off to bed.

You and me three !

NearlyNewNonny · 29/06/2026 05:38

From what I read you still seem intent that DH is at fault. I can't see that he did anything wrong. You were the one who tried to put on some strange love duet to demonstrate how much your DH adores you. This you were doing to show someone your DH may have had a crush on years ago that you won the prize and look at how happy you are.
Did you organise the whole party just to set this up?
All DH did was go for a walk with the DH of someone you think he fancies. Nothing you wrote shows that to be true, more that he didn't want to go along with your strange performance.

You made all of this so obvious even your DC called you out on trying to make your old neighbour look the villain of the piece.

You need to apologise and get some counselling.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is not accepting new messages.