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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 met the other women

32 replies

Yogabuff · 20/12/2010 08:24

Right so I met the other women and got the whole story. I nearlly had a heart attack while I was waiting for her. it was her idea...

They've been meeting up for about two months and started sleeping with each other 3 weeks ago. She's only 22! Not very attractive and overweight (secretly happy about that) she feels really bad about everything so wanted to tell the truth. She new he was married with a baby so I wish she felt bad sooner. He was just after sex, I think she felt used. I wouldn't mind but we had sex at least once or twice a week, not loads I know but not bad for someone with a new baby. I think he felt neglected and lonely (are all men like this?). He never said a thing to me but when I was throwing out all his things I found a read his diary. He sounds really depressed, I had no idea. It's like he hate himself and has hit the self destruct button?

He's still in his mates house, he's been grovelling ever since, looking after DD whenever I want, buying and cooking me food, bottles of wine, cleaning the house AND SAYING SORRY. He's even booked an appointment to see a counsellor. He seems sorry and regretful and does want us back but I'm just not sure. I'm not sure if relationships can ever be put right after this??

OP posts:
Yogabuff · 20/12/2010 08:25

her idea the meeting not the affair....

OP posts:
FlightoftheCrimbleTree · 20/12/2010 08:28

Gosh. Reading this I would say give him another chance.

I definitely think if you can come to terms with what went wrong, you have an excellent chance of making it work second time round. He's doing all the right things.

Good luck, honestly - such a hard situation for you, but he sounds like he's genuinely really sorry.

molemesses · 20/12/2010 08:29

All relationships can survive anything if you want them to.

You both need to sit down and talk about what went wrong and go from there.

This sounds as though it's the first time he's done this, if it was the second I would be a bit more wearey.

Have a chat, alone, in private then both go away seperatly and have a good sleep and a long hard think the next morning.

Go from there.

iamnotreallysure · 20/12/2010 08:53

Hi again Yogabuff.

He might be legit but you must treat this with caution. I am a bit concerned as to why the other women got in touch. His influence or is she hoping for a re-conciliation with him ?

You were asked the question previously about his visa status - is this totally invalid?

I have read quite a few threads on MN about men who promise the earth after being caught out - at a rough estimate perhaps 5 - 10% do make the change (but people are more likely to post looking for support).

I do think though - this needs to be about you and your DC's needs not his.

He didn't consider either of your needs when he decided to use this other women for sex - that in itself does not speak well of him especially when unlike many women in your position re PND you were actually still having a physical relationship.

Can I suggest though - if you really want to get support through this situation - you pick up your earlier threads and continue / bump them so that people can see your back story.

MyBrilliantCareer · 20/12/2010 09:11

After reading this I'm inclined to say it can work. But only if there's a lot of talking and hard graft.

He needs to take absolutely full responsibility for his own actions here (and that includes his neglect of you - the mother of his young child who has PND and needs support - and not just sleeping with someone else) and be prepared to see that being a good husband means being your biggest fan and supporter, communicating openly and honestly, and not just helping out around the house/avoiding shagging anyone else.

Also, he needs to deal with his depression. It's his garden he's got to tidy, and you can't do that for him. But it sounds promising that he's booked into a counselling session already.

Good luck!

WhenwillIfeelnormal · 20/12/2010 11:11

Okay, the facts. This is a man who has been living the life of a single man for months while you were struggling with a new baby and PND. He made you feel that you were being unreasonable for objecting to this and that your suspicions were based on your illness, so that you wondered yourself whether you were suffering from severe mental illness and paranoia.

When you posted your original thread, people who mercifully aren't suffering from PND validated your suspicions and told you that his behaviour was a dealbreaker on its own, regardless of infidelity. You confronted again and got an admission that he had slept with someone once, but that it was now over.

When that seemed like a dealbreaker, he retracted his story and told you that he had only told you this to shut you up. You posted again, people told you he was lying again and advised you to check his phone bills. You did and found the same number over and over again and phoned the OW, who confirmed that this was an active and current relationship.

He's therefore got absolutely zero credit rating for the truth, until faced with incontrovertible evidence.

You'll need more than a week of abject apologies and sorrow (which is about being caught rather than for what he's done) to believe anything he says, I'd imagine?

It doesn't surprise me in the least that you were having regular sex (once a week with a new baby and PND, is certainly regular, btw) and that he is claiming inattention and loneliness. But in answer to your question, no all men don't feel like this.

People don't have affairs when they aren't getting their needs met in a relationship. They have affairs when they aren't meeting the needs of their partner, when they've stopped giving to their relationship. So you need to reverse your thinking and recall what your own diary might have said.

I bet you weren't feeling cherished or adored and I bet that you weren't having your needs met by him either, am I right? However, as a grown-up, I expect you reasoned that an adult's needs are secondary when an infant's needs are all-consuming? If you felt like this, it didn't occur to you to start living the life of a single woman and use a man for sex while your H was left at home, depressed and holding the baby, did it?

Stop thinking that this is about his needs not being met, because that is flawed thinking. Think instead about the needs he wasn't meeting in you.

perfumeditsawonderfullife · 20/12/2010 11:26

He is a pathological liar and I would kick him out so fast he wouldn't see it happen.

If this is how he behaves when you have a new baby and depression, the only way is down. Stop worrying about his self worth, worry about your own.

As for the ow, that's a set up.

MyBrilliantCareer · 20/12/2010 12:08

Perfumed he has lied and lied to cover his tracks, but does that technically make him a pathological liar?

The OP said that in his diary he sounds depressed.

If this is true (please do not think I am justifying his behaviour - I most certainly am not) then maybe this situation deserves thinking through a little.

Everything else still holds - he has to prove himself, consistently and over time, but I'm just saying that maybe (and only maybe) he deserves the chance to try, rather than the instant reaction of "no way, kick him out."

Lovesdogsandcats · 20/12/2010 12:13

WhenwillI, fab post.

AnyFuckerForAMincePie · 20/12/2010 15:49

what wwifn said, absolutely nothing more to say

LittleMissHoHoHoFit · 20/12/2010 17:39

hear hear AF WWIFN

TheCrackFox · 20/12/2010 17:43

How handy that he left a diary around detailing how "depressed" he was/is. Hmm I would take this with a huge pinch of salt.

If you want to take him back proceed with caution.

IAmReallyFabNow · 20/12/2010 17:44

Bloody hell WWIFN. One of your sentences has just hit me right on the head. You are very wise.

AnyFuckerForAMincePie · 20/12/2010 17:50

fab...WWIFN is the wisest person on MN, mark my words Xmas Smile

she is like one of the wise men of wisetown

IAmReallyFabNow · 20/12/2010 17:55

I have always thought of you as wise, AF.

I was going to PM you earlier and then decided to clean DD's room.

GraceAwayInAManger · 20/12/2010 17:57

If I'd only read your OP, Yoga, I'd be saying "make him work, then give him a chance". But this is not the whole story - not by a long way. I'm delighted that WWIFN posted an accurate summary of your "marriage" and hope that FOR ONCE YOU WILL LISTEN.

I don't know who taught you that everything in life is your fault, but I'd like to punch them.

Stop making excuses. He's a selfish, self-serving, self-centred twunt who only cares for himself. Is that clear enough? Grin

Boot him out for good and start a divorce, please. You deserve a better life than this.

CheerfulV · 20/12/2010 18:06

What a brilliant post WWIFN. Fantastic advice there, hope you read it yoga.

AnyFuckerForAMincePie · 20/12/2010 20:16

I was going to PM you earlier and then decided to clean DD's room.

always the better option.... Xmas Grin

IAmReallyFabNow · 20/12/2010 20:20

Grin.

No, just didn't want to bore you.

jasper · 20/12/2010 20:26

once or twice a week with a newborn? and he felt neglected?

I'm sorry, I know this is just a small part of your post but I nearly choked on my tea.

I response to your question, yes, relationships can and do recover from infidelity.
Tread carefully and think about what YOU want

helicopterview · 20/12/2010 20:33

Just another fan of WWIFN's post here. It's so true. And yes, twice a week with a newborn, he was a lucky man.

omaoma · 20/12/2010 20:39

I suspect what your partner is suddenly realising he might lose is his status rather than his life partner whom he loves and respects. hence the backtracking and kowtowing.

Agree with WWIFN. Is what she says true about the backstory? Then he's an utter shit and will take a long time to grow up, unfortunately for you.

Eurostar · 20/12/2010 20:54

and I would add that he is cruel, cruel to treat you this way and cruel to doubtless have made all sorts of promises to a young girl who sounds like she is vulnerable and exploitable. I have no idea why someone is saying it is a set up. You contacted her and eventually she wanted to talk to you, and you now have the truth that he denied you.

Yogabuff · 20/12/2010 21:26

when will i feel normal.... Thank you for the reminder.

Thank you all for your comments and support. Sorry for going around in circles...

I?ve been trying to reason why he did what he did and all I could come up with was that I was difficult to live with, he had a really hard past, he doesn?t know how to communicate his problems as well as I do. But the most plausible reason is just that he?s not a very nice person and a crap husband who acted like a horny 20 year old. I was hard to live with because he was never home and I was sick with a new baby and PND. You?re right I wasn?t feeling cherished and loved I was feeling neglected and lovely. I was more lonely when he was living in the house than I am now and I never even considered being with anyone else.

As for the OW I don?t think it was a set up, I think she reckoned I deserved an explanation. Apparently she?s only over in NZ for a few months and feels that she?d come here and ruined a marriage and a family. He chased her for the most part, even he admitted that. But like you all said he only admitted it when his back was against the wall. His excuse/reason was that he was scared to tell the truth, scared about what would happen. I do think he?s full of remorse but he?s probably feeling more sorry for himself than for me. I just don?t understand how someone who loved me so much and who was really good to me and who made me feel so amazing could do this. How can they change so much in such a short period of time?

I told him last night to find a permanent place to live and that I needed much more time before I could even consider taking him back. Maybe I know deep down the marriage is over but I am not sure I want to put the final nail in the coffin just yet. Part of me want to believe that he is really sorry, that he does want us back and that he?ll never do anything like this again. I want to believe that over time he?ll make up for what he?s done me and that someday we?ll be happy again? When I look at the photos of the times when we were so happy it breaks my heart to think it?s come to this..

As for the visas we are both here for another year no matter what happens.... After that I have no idea. We?d planned on going to Spain.

OP posts:
LittleMissHoHoHoFit · 20/12/2010 22:51

Yoga, you have this next year to work out WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.

Now is the time to put yourself first and foremost, sideline him totally, because he is not your friend. He needs to leave you alone and you need to get on with your life.

If he has done this to you once, he will do it again.

Get some space between you, and let his actions speak for him. His words are not worth a jot.