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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

I have recently found out that my husband had an affair with a "friend"

60 replies

seriouslypissedoff · 10/09/2010 20:06

I recently found out that my husband of 23 years had an affair with a woman who was a friend of ours. It went on for about a year and a half ( on and off 3 times) and finished about 18 months ago.
My husband has begged me to have a future with him and I have agreed to see how it goes.

My problem is that I have a great deal of anger towards this woman. How can someone who is a "friend" do this to someone she has known for years? I have not seen her since I found out and am anxious about running into her as I am fearful about what I might do.Is this normal? To want to punch her in the mouth?

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seriouslypissedoff · 11/09/2010 19:30

I don't think I do want to know everything as I feel it might hinder any progress that we might make.....he told me that they "got on well together" ( they had known each other/us for about 11 years) and it kicked off when both myself and her H were out of town and they had been at a boozy event. It actually makes me feel physically sick to think of them together.I feel very despondent this evening.

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seriouslypissedoff · 11/09/2010 19:30

Sorry if I am not addressing everyone's comments.....I am appreciative.

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fuschiagroan · 11/09/2010 19:32

Well, put it this way - if he loved her more than he loved you he would have left you for her. But he doesn't want to do that, he wants to stay with you. Do you have children?

seriouslypissedoff · 11/09/2010 19:35

Yes , 2 teenagers one just about to go off to Uni.

He said that he knew it was wrong and that it should stop and it did several times but restarted. He said it was totally separate from our life.

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Suda · 11/09/2010 20:02

The best 'revenge on a DH and OW I ever heard was by a woman who I worked with and her DH had worked away for years. He had been having an affair with the hotel receptionist imbetween having a baby with his wife during his weekends home !
She found out and travelled down to his hotel with very young baby approached reception where said receptionist greeted her - handed over the baby to startled receptionist in carry cot and said "You ve taken everything from me - would you like my baby aswell - if not give him to Mr xxxx in room 207 - my husband !! Then flounced out and went home. Much later that night a very red faced husband arrived home with baby in carrycot( you'll be pleased to know ).

There was no happy ending - she did not take him back - and receptionist called time on him too on grounds his wife was a psycho and might chop her up!!

fuschiagroan · 11/09/2010 20:03

Suda, that could have gone quite wrong!

WhenwillIfeelnormal · 12/09/2010 01:47

Thanks for your reply SPO.

It doesn't sound as though you have got very much information at all about the affair and so much of your obsessing is probably your need to fill in the gaps.

Acknowledging that we are all very different in our "need to know", the reason so many people have this compulsive need to know EVERYTHING (and I was one of them) is because there was a period in your life when you were being deceived. That period feels "unaccounted for", because things were not as they seemed at all.

The general rule in this is also that whatever you need to know, your H should tell you. He cannot be the arbiter of what's good for you in this, either.

It doesn't sound as though you have started any work as a couple on reconstructing the story of your marriage, the story of the affair and your H's personal vulnerability to this happening. The latter issue is crucial, because if your H doesn't do some work examining how or why he became vulnerable to infidelity, it could well happen again.

Shirley Glass says in her book that infidelity is hard enough to get over with therapy - and without it, virtually impossible. I completely agree with that assertion, but I would always advise that the unfaithful party gets some solo therapy first, to unpick what it was about their character, personality, familial and lifestyle vulnerabilities that led to this.

I have this impression of you left hugely in the dark about this seismic event that happened in your life. I fear that this will lead you to have many more darker days, because even if recovery is going well and healing is coming along, most betrayed partners hit a kind of wall a few months on, when the drama and crisis has subsided and all they are left with is the sadness and sense of loss.

Many people in your H's situation hope that things will blow over and things can get back to normal, but please don't pass up this opportunity to get the marriage you feel you deserve.

Read that book, get your H to do so too and if it helps, start writing down a list of questions that are going through your head all the time you are alone and obsessing.

I think you'll find the book really helpful because you will see that so much of what you're feeling is entirely normal, including your fear of meeting the OW.

Will your H get some therapy? Would you also consider some solo counselling so that you can process your feelings? I often advise couples to delay the couples counselling for a while until work has been done with the individuals - and after the dust settles a little. However, it strikes me from what you say that communication is a big issue in your relationship and so I think you would both benefit from some couples counselling at some point.

Suda · 12/09/2010 07:54

Yeah I thought that at the time FUSCHIA - woman could have been a right bunny boiler - called social services or dropped/launched carrycot towards mother/ran off with baby with D(straying)H etc etc. I actually said that to her but she said she was just so angry that she just did it really and still feels guilty about it whenever she looks at SC now. Also months after her telling this story my DH had to work away for 18mths for his company and she really spooked me about it at every opportunity - but to be fair to her I think she really thought if her DH could do it then anybodys could and she was genuinely worried for me. We survived it unscathed btw.

Suda · 12/09/2010 07:58

p.s. - I not very au fait with abbreviations on here - SC = small child not stepchild I hope !

seriouslypissedoff · 12/09/2010 12:58

whenwillifeelnormal, thanks so much for your words. They were very helpful and I have had a chat now about certain things and actually it has helped somewhat, quite a bit in fact. I am going to try to keep on like this even if I fear what I may hear ( actually it wasn't as bad as I feared)

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