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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

Secret e-mail address and OW

111 replies

Louise2Louise · 08/12/2010 21:05

I really need some perspective please. Some 18 months ago I caught my DH sending an amorous text to OW. He denied and minimised before admitting to an inappropriate relationship with his colleague. I feared worse. He refused to discuss it other than to say he would end it. He deleted the messages he had posted on the address box he had created for her under an alias. He refused to give me any passwords but I discovered the password and adopted the address when he thought he had closed it down. Both he and she used aliases. He promised to close down the 7 or so e-mail addresses he had and keep only 2, one for work and one for personal. I discovered the passwords for both. He had refused to give them. I was dignified about my discovery but lost some 6 months of my life in grief. He appeared to get closer to me. I still checked his e-mails from time to time as he had told me how easily he had deceived his former wife because he understood computers and had a secret phone. His first marriage ended as a result of one of his girlfriends threatening to inform his wife. I read on MN that bad behaviour such as his often reoccurs after 6 months and so it was. I discovered compromising e-mails to a different colleague some six months after the original discovery. He denied anything other than flirtation. This time I went balistic. I offered him a divorce. He recoiled as he says he lost everything in his previous divorce. He admitted he was wrong and that his behaviour would cease. Last week whilst I was checking his e-mails a secret address list appeared showing a previously not known e-mail address for him. I wrote it down but failed to note the names on the address list which I have never seen before. He has an address list other than this. In order to check whether the e-mail address was an old one closed down like he had promised, I e-mailed it a message" Hello xxx'. I expected it to bounce back as unavailable. just in case it did not, I emailed it from the e-mail address of the OW, to which only I have access. It didn't bounce back. H works away often and he phoned me eventually asking me details about my whereabouts at the time of the message, and whether I had found any thing on the net. I was vague, but later thought it must relate to my e-mail. Still no reply 2 days later on the e-mail address of the OW. Late last night I googled the alias of the OW and up came a Twitter page listing contact between her and my DH. There had been contact her to him about one year ago, he had replied. DH had had depression at the time. Then again about 6 weeks ago, and then my HelloXXx message and his reply some minutes later saying Wonderful to receive your e-mail, but showing only the first few words of those e-mails. I am very upset about the existence of the secret e-mail address, and about him replying to her e-mails. Am I overreacting?
I feel dirty and ashamed that I snooped.

OP posts:
SantasENormaSnob · 09/12/2010 15:43

He is proud that he deceived his first wife? That disgusts me. This man doesn't love women, he doesn't even like them IMO

Louise, please don't kid yourself re infidelity and this man. If he could get it up, it would be physical betrayal too.

Konchita · 09/12/2010 15:49

Lou :) he leads double triple etc lives for years and you pay attention to what he says.
Well, maybe, but think about it.

GiddyPickle · 09/12/2010 16:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Louise2Louise · 09/12/2010 16:34

GiddyPickle, you are insightful. You are right on so many points. He does enjoy wrong footing people. He did enjoy seeing me doubt my intuition. However, I don't think he does it so much to hurt me, as to reassure himself that he can outwit anyone he chooses, ie to boast his self esteem.

I am beginning to see a very ugly picture emerge, which scares me.

Why is so hard?

OP posts:
GiddyPickle · 09/12/2010 16:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Louise2Louise · 09/12/2010 17:05

GiddyPickle, sometimes it does feel like he is being cruel. Naturally, I avoid such situations. We don't discuss it. Although I do love him. He is vulnerable. I can see that I am feeling resentment.

I am not going to discuss this with him. It would serve no purpose. You are all so right, he will not be truthful. I think that my silence will disconcert him more. He doesn't get the opportunity to use the no doubt by now, well rehearsed lies. It's not that I want to play games, I get very upset. Heavens, you have made me think that he may even enjoy seeing me distressed. Am I getting carried away? I can see that a confrontation will serve no purpose other than to upset me and poison the atmosphere for days. Besides, I don't want him to see me as a victim.

Life can be so hard!

OP posts:
ScaredOfCows · 09/12/2010 17:06

Louise you stated earlier - "If I was sure his infidelity was physical, it would be over today."

Why would this be any worse than the emotional infidelity, than hiding your existence from his work colleagues and children, than his mental cruetly towards you?

Louise2Louise · 09/12/2010 17:23

Scared if Cows, for me physically infidelity would be a deal breaker, I have always felt that. I could never imagine committing adultery. I am never sure where emotional infidelity and friendship differ.

I have no idea why he hid my existence and our marriage from his children. I suppose that hiding his relationship with me from his colleagues made it easier to flirt etc, because he appeared single. I think I rather crudely said that his behaviour was akin to that of a woman who is a pr-ck teaser. Sometimes I wonder if he pursues the woman, who believes by his attentive behaviour, that a real relationship is on offer, and that that is what he wants too, only he is married. That is how he pursued ( almost stalked,) me, only then he was long separated from his then wife.

OP posts:
Louise2Louise · 09/12/2010 17:27

To clarify, the next to last sentence would be clearer if it read:
Sometimes I wonder if he pursues the woman, who believes by his attentive behaviour, that a real relationship is on offer and that she believes that that is what he wants too, only he is married.

I could be completely wrong, of course.

OP posts:
AnyFuckerForAMincePie · 09/12/2010 18:07

Louise, I would bet my house this man has been "physically" unfaithful

Although the rest of his behaviour is more than enough for me to call time, right now, right this minute

what did you think to my scenario above...

I am concerned at you not wanting to force the issue before Xmas. It does not matter if he accuses you of "ruining Xmas". What I think will happen is that you will swallow your distress, see him being Mr Nice Guy over the holidays, wiping a few worktops, washing a few pots and you will resolve to try harder to save your relationship.

You are trying to convince yourself that the only dealbreaker is "physical infidelity" and you know he will never admit to that.

So you continue to bargain away his absolute betrayal of you. A convenient excuse for you to keep the status quo. I feel very sorry for you, that you cannot see how successfully you are being humiliated and made to feel like you would be no good without this awful man.

He is an awful man. You need to harden your heart and put yourself first...he never will. He will continue to enjoy his control over you and the fact he can make himself feel better by making you look like a self-deceiving doormat.

Louise2Louise · 09/12/2010 18:13

AF, I do hear what you say. The insight and the support of MNers has helped me a lot. I do need time. I didn't really expect such a reaction. Which bit makes it an absolute betrayal of me? I don't want to be annoying but which bit?

OP posts:
AnyFuckerForAMincePie · 09/12/2010 18:50

louise... all of it

perfumeditsawonderfullife · 09/12/2010 19:01

You can catch a thief, it's very hard to catch a liar.

When i read your opening post Lousise i was astonished at the lengths your h went to in concealing his deceit. He is a liar through and though, and if you stay with him you will spend the rest of your life snooping, worrying and be his jailor.

That's no llife.

PfftTheMagicDragon · 09/12/2010 19:02

Louise:

I would view these things as absolute betrayals:

-He does not introduce you to his teenage children despite you having been together for fourteen years. I'm not sure if this is to ensure that you don't find out that what happened between him and his ex-wife is not what he says it was, or to simply control you.

-He hid your existence from his work colleagues, seemingly so that he could continue to act like a single man while he was there. He pretends, for a large portion of his day, that you do not exist.

-He has several secret e-mail accounts. From which he e-mails other women. Having been on the end of a situation like this, I will tell you that if he is in touch with them on mediums such as Twitter, then he is probably IMing them as well and has probably had internet sex with at least one of them.

-He has been sharing private information with other women. Thoughts and feelings that he should only be sharing with you.

-You have confronted him on his infidelity and he has repeated his behaviour.

-You have offered him divorce and he protested on the grounds that he would lose money.

I think that it is certainly easy, once the dust settles from your discoveries, to want things back to normal, to let things lie. But you need to remember that normal is him fucking around in secret with women online. And probably in person. Are you happy to live like this? Can you accept sharing him? Can you accept his behaviour, his disrespect for you?

PfftTheMagicDragon · 09/12/2010 19:03

The only difference will be, if you continue - that he will get better at hiding.

marriednotmulled · 09/12/2010 19:05

He is destroying the very core of your being in every deceitful act he carries out, and the fact that you cannot or will not see it (and so allow it to continue) is evidence of that.

There's the betrayal that AF states.

Louise2Louise · 09/12/2010 19:53

Pfft what is IMing ? Serious question.

Today the MN messages have really shaken me. Clearly I am out of touch with what is normal. I am doing my best.

I realise that he is not going to change. I will stop snooping as I hate myself for doing it. I am not a detective or his Mother. Things cannot really go back to normal as my eyes are now wide open.

He has e-mailed me several times today with affectionate messages. This is unusual. I am certain he knows I know. And you are right, I probably know a very small percentage of what he does. I am dreading his arrival home tomorrow.
I don't want a confrontation tomorrow. I haven't changed the password on his secret account, and will not do so, having read the advice given here. Ultimately, it will make no difference.

After the initial discovery some 18 months ago, I went to pieces. This time it will, hopefully, be different.

Thank you all. Your support is amazing.

OP posts:
AnyFuckerForAMincePie · 09/12/2010 20:04

IM'ing is "instant messaging", like inboxing or private messages.

Stick around, you will get plenty of support.

PfftTheMagicDragon · 09/12/2010 20:23

Instant Messaging is something that you do through a chat client. Usually something like MSN, or maybe trillian, or a million variants. You use it to instant chat with people - and unless you have selected so, the messages are not saved.

This is how my husband betrayed me.

You are right about your changing passwords making no difference. The only purpose it serves is to let you know if they are in touch, which you already know they are anyway. So you end up in the awful position of watching your husband cheat on you and not confronting him, you have a front row seat to your own misery. Stop it now.

You cannot let him do to you now what he did before. I certainly know that you feel differently after that first betrayal - there's an almost withdrawal of the absolute trust and I think that a second betrayal doesn't hurt as much because the shock factor is not present. Use this to your advantage.

Do not reply to his messages. Let him hang. He wants reassurance.

PfftTheMagicDragon · 09/12/2010 20:25

And yes, Louise - there will be plenty of support here for you. I could not have got through this year without the support of those here, lots of posters helped me though, particularly AF and WWIFN, but not just them.

You can come here to vent, have your emotional outburst - we will not judge you for what you say here. I found it good to use MN to work out a lot of feelings so I didn't pour it all out to my H.

PressureDrop · 09/12/2010 20:27

Repeated lying, cheating, sneaking about.

Did it to his ex.

Has done it (repeatedly) to you.

What do you want people to say?

AnyFuckerForAMincePie · 09/12/2010 20:30

louise, you can say what you want here, if you are ok with responses that are equally honest

which you seem to be

hope you are ok x

Louise2Louise · 09/12/2010 21:00

I think I am developing a cold. I feel quite odd. But am not crying now. Without you MNers I could not have survived the day. Am I just thick or where did you all get such insight. I am dreading tomorrow, but have a much clearer picture of what is acceptable and what I would like.

I am so grateful for you taking time to respond. Need a big hug.

OP posts:
AnyFuckerForAMincePie · 09/12/2010 21:07

accept a hug (()) from us

marriednotmulled · 09/12/2010 21:22

Insight comes from personal experience for some of us, plus watching/helping friends, relatives and other MNetters get through varying shades of the same crap.

Sadly there are many men and women like your DP out there.

You're stronger than you realise, and the support on here will not disappear Smile

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