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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

Do I confess?

128 replies

cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 04:06

have finally managed to break free from an EA with someone I know realise has NPD. It has gone on for 5 months and whilst we've never met (since last seeing him 10 years ago) it has been very intense. Very intimate discussions and exchanging of photos etc. I am horribly ashamed of what I have done and really can't even see why I was so stupid, all I can say is he played me so well - one minute bombarding me with texts, the next ignoring me for some supposed slight. I never knew where I was and think I became somewhat addicted to the thrill of it - so stupid :(
Should I confess to my DH of 21 years? Our marriage has been somewhat rocky but lately seems to be going so well. I know it would destroy him, he would never forgive me. But the guilt is burning inside me night and day, I hate what I've done, hate the way I've behaved.
I think I'm safe from OM ever telling my DH but I can't be sure, he has shown himself to be nothing like who I thought he was and even though he is also married he is already seeing someone else.
So is keeping quiet the best way? Or confess and the inevitable divorce and it's impact on my 3 dc? And yes I know I should have thought about them when I was doing this :(

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cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 14:18

Gooseberrybushes - I like that analogy - thank you. Stupid and crass and low about sums it up. I would be mortified for my children to know what I have done, let alone how disgusted my DH would be with me.
Have confessed all to a very close friend this morning who was totally gobsmacked that I would do anything like this but admitted she had wondered for the last few months why I seemed different.

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cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 14:25

Seachange - I deserve it, really feel free to vent at me. I can't imagine how awful you must feel to be on the other end of this and I hope things work out for you. Whilst I was in the middle of this I used to feel very guilty about OMs wife and children (never about my own for some reason :S) and tried to stop it all a few times because of that. I'm sure to you all OW are evil b*tches but some of us are really truly sorry for any hurt we may have caused. I know that probably doesn't help though :(

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seachange · 28/04/2011 14:53

Dammit you've taken the wind right out of my sails. :)

Seriously though, maybe solo counselling for a while would be a good idea for you, to help you try and unpack what has happened. It's not good that you can admit you probably would have left your H if the OM had been The One - what about when the next The One comes along? You need to work out how to give your H 100% effort and commitment, which you might not be able to do if things don't change in your marriage (obv your H has his part to play as well), but things might not change if you're not honest with him.

cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 14:56

Seachange - don't say that, if venting at me makes you feel better carry on!
I know why I thought OM was the one. He was my first boyfriend, broke my heart and I never really got over him. That doesn't make it right I know but I know that kind if temptation will never come my way again.

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seachange · 28/04/2011 15:15

Affairs with old flames are apparently the most dangerous to the marriage relationship. So the person of the OM was one strong contributing factor, but of course there were others. The state of your marriage for one, your personality/character for another - what was it about you that made it ok to act in this way? I think it would be a mistake to say that just because it was that particular man, it will never happen again. The other factors should be addressed too.

WhenwillIfeelnormal · 28/04/2011 15:18

The thing about regretted infidelity is that good people do bad things, for a while. You were clearly addicted to the feelings this evoked, rather than the man himself. That you can so clearly judge him now with a bit of space and distance, demonstrates this perfectly.

I understand why you've unburdened yourself to your friend and her reaction is pretty illuminating - she knew something was up. Chances are, it would have crossed your H's mind too, because people having affairs always under-estimate the effect it has on their behaviour at home. Now that your friend knows though, the secret is further risked and that's quite a burden for her to hold too, especially if she is friends with your H too and sees you both socially.

I don't think you've commented about whether you'd be willing to see a counsellor to discuss all this? It might really help.

I also agree with Diggs incidentally that if you do decide to tell all, while I wouldn't minimise this at all, choose your words really carefully, take full responsibility for it and apologise sincerely. If you truly think that this wouldn't have happened if your marriage had been happy (but be really honest about that, because after 20 years, anyone's head could be turned by an old flame's flattery) then part of your apology is for not expressing those grievances openly. One of the things you might need to wrestle with though is to decide whether your marriage was unhappy enough to to result in an affair, or whether in reality it was pretty strong but needed revitalising, like many perfectly sound marriages of this duration.

You are not a bad person. You did a bad thing for a while and the measure of you, is what you do now in the aftermath. That might mean saying nothing and putting your heart and soul into your marriage and family, with your H making similar efforts. Or it might mean an honest disclosure and building a great new relationship.

cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 15:24

WWIFN - no my friend won't tell. She dislikes my DH as indeed do many of my friends after seeing how unhappy I have been for years. Whilst she didn't approve of what I've done she begged me not to tell him as in her words "he will hang you out to dry over this"
I am sure there were many signs that I was doing something I shouldn't. With hindsight I was nowhere near as careful as I should have been.
Like I say my DH seems to be making a huge amount of effort at the moment, And I am too.
A counsellor I think is a very good idea. I have do much hurt inside me that it would be a relief to unload it.

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Aislingorla · 28/04/2011 15:40

Why do many of your friends dislike your husband? Do they know him well or are they judging him on how you describe him? Strong words ''he will hang you out to dry over this''. What is he like? Are you scared of him?

cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 15:40

So much not do much

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cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 15:45

No I'm not scared of him but he has told me for years how he could do better than me and at times massively disrespected and belittled me. Most of my friends I have had 10+ years so they know him well too even the wife if his closest friend who we see socially very often says he must be a nightmare to live with.
Sounds like I'm making excuses but really it has been rough for many years so I think it was inevitable in a way that this happened.

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Aislingorla · 28/04/2011 16:04

Well, we're getting a clearer picture. It sounds like emotional abuse to me. It does not excuse your infidelity but....you were/are not happy with this man.

seachange · 28/04/2011 16:18

So why do you want to stay with your H then?

cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 16:34

Because I love him, because we are a family, because I want my marriage to work.
There are good points to him too, wouldnt stay otherwise. Just they haven't been on show for a long time.
Nothing he does or doesn't do excuses my behaviour. I've hardly been a perfect wife doing this!

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Gooseberrybushes · 28/04/2011 16:44

Well he broke his marriage vows too.

If you want this to work, make it work, but don't let this turn you into even more of a doormat.

Diggs · 28/04/2011 16:46

Op you say you werent as carefull as you should have been, was there some part of you that wanted to get caught ?

cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 17:58

Diggs - I don't know. Logically I would say no of course but subconsciously I'm not so sure. Looking back I realise I could have been much more careful, OM used to know when I was busy with family at weekends etc and that is when he would pile on the nice texts and compliments, it messed with my head a lot. So I was always on my phone in a corner somewhere, or picking up texts late at night. I've always texted friends a lot though so maybe it wasn't that suspicious although my 3 year old said to me yesterday "mummy you never get those messages on your phone anymore that make you smile". So if he's noticed ... !

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cathkidstonbag · 28/04/2011 20:39

WWIFN - no I was addicted to him as well not just the feelings. I cried every day for the month I could feel him moving away from me. I couldn't sleep or eat but when it was over and I knew why I could feel more anger than sadness. I just find it easier not to think about him in a nice light anymore. I can't deal with that pain as well, to have shared that amount of intimate thoughts and secrets with someone who quite clearly didn't give a damn. Best not to think about it because I need to focus on repairing the damage.

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WhenwillIfeelnormal · 29/04/2011 00:52

This is all sounding very familiar - have you posted about this before?

It sounds as though this affair was anaesthetising you from a very miserable marriage. Belittling you, telling you he could do better than you and behaving so badly that even friends felt uncomfortable and strongly enough to hate him, sound like textbook abusive behaviours to me - and no doubt others on this thread. If that's the case, making a confession should be the least of your worries; having the courage to leave this marriage seems more of a priority.

It explains why you made that statement about not being the sort of woman who engenders strong feelings in a man - your spirit and esteem sound as though they've been utterly corroded.

If you are the poster I'm thinking of, I worried then that this affair was having the disastrous effect of putting off making important leaving decisions and of course, apart from the wrongness of having an affair with an attached person, it's surprisingly common for people to trade one abusive or narcissistic romantic partner for another.

If your H is as abusive as he sounds, I would forget about any confessions, get some counselling and think really hard about why on earth you are staying with someone who has made you feel so worthless.

cathkidstonbag · 29/04/2011 08:05

Yes WWIFN, I have. And I should have listened to your advice before but I couldn't. And yes that's weak and pathetic of me I know.
DH has been so much better over the last month. There was a moment when I knew the whole thing with OM was disappearing and DH started about how he could have married someone smarter, prettier blah blah. Normally I would have ignored him or cried but I lost it and told him to leave ... told him to go find this mythical woman who would be so much better than me. And since then things have improved, he's begged to stay and is making effort beyond anything I hoped. Of course that makes me feel guilty and hypocritical, I'm not such a wonderful wife if I can do what I've done :(
So my self esteem is pretty low which is why I fell for OMs sweet talking. And why I couldn't end it myself, had to let him break me even further :S
And big lightbulb moment there, of course my DH is like that too. That's why some of OMs behaviours were so familiar (lack of empathy, blaming my lack of trust on my issues etc).
Thank you.
Bad day today, feeling in a very dark place. Weddings do that to me :(

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waterrat · 29/04/2011 09:26

omg- the real question here is why you are staying with your H. It is not love to tell someone you could have done better - not at all. You are responding by seeking out love elsewhere - but you are too scared to face that journey alone.

Please see this whole thing as a sign to you that people who stay in unhappy relationships do end up being tempted to cheat - I think you should look for solo counselling to talk through the emotional abuse you have put up with for years - and why you believe that what you have is worth saving. Your husband should not need to be threatened with you leaving in order to start making an effort - all that shows is that he was abusing you when he knew you were weak.

please see that you have one life only - and this relationship is making you both miserable. If your friend doesnt like him - then he is clearly not good to you. Friends tend to know best.

Please look ahead and believe that you can make a new life, with more confidence, without men who belittle and abuse you - the other man here was simply another part of that pattern. You can look after yourself, love yourself and live a peaceful happy life - with therapy you could sort out your behaviour in relationships, your confidence and go on to meet someone wonderful.

springydaffs · 29/04/2011 09:31

oh sweetheart, it sounds like you've had a rough life tbh, that you would put up with, stay in,a marriage that was so painful and damaging. Then knight in shining armour etc; now you beating the shit out of yourself - it's always your fault huh, and now you'e proved to yourself you are a dog Sad. Yes, counselling, for all the hurt over all the years (your whole life). Take your time over it ie years, to work through all the abuse. Don't tell your husband, it is too precious for you to share it with someone who has beaten you half to death for decades (emotionally): no wonder you were ripe for the picking. I am not excusing affairs but in this instance imo you have an emotional bank balance that is seriously in the red. When I say 'it' is too precious, I don't mean the affair but your heart. Counselling - find someone you are comfortable with and work through everything, take your time to unpack it. Please believe me that kids growing up in an emotionally abusive home are seriously damaged and distorted by it, even if they never witness anything obvious: it's the air they breath.

cathkidstonbag · 29/04/2011 09:45

Waterrat and springydaffs- thank you for your kind words. Far more than I deserve I know.
I do know it is damaging my DC. For the last few months I have tried not to think about that, I had OM to distract me and make me smile. And now he's made me cry too.
Yes I need counselling, I can see that. I unloaded so much stuff to OM that my DH doesn't even know, thinking he was such a good friend. That someone could know all that about me and know how vulnerable and sad I was and then hurt me more ... :(((
So I guess it's not the best idea in this situation to confess? I just swallow the guilt. DH still didn't deserve this tho. Nobody deserves somebody to cheat on them.

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springydaffs · 29/04/2011 10:11

No you don't swallow the guilt, you work it out with a therapist. Take your time, you've swallowed an awful lot throughout your life, not least that everything is your fault and you are not worth even basic respect let alone cherishing. You are probably grieving too, which only you (and your close friend) know about, so you are going through this moreorless alone. You trusted someone with your life, probably for the first time in your life, and it turns out he was a player, didn't value you (as per usual Sad). Go easy on yourself OP - for the first time in your life you need to start learning to cherish yourself. NObody else has by the sound of it.

WhenwillIfeelnormal · 29/04/2011 10:37

People often think my dislike of affairs is only from the betrayed spouse's perspective, but that's not so. Some "faithful" spouses behaviour is so utterly awful and shocking, that they betrayed all the other marriage vows themselves. Fidelity is after all just one of those vows and it's not the most important one IMO. However, lots of people seem to put up with all sorts of horrible behaviour and stay in awful marriages, simply because there has been no infidelity. From my perspective, that's the wrong set of priorities.

In this situation - and what I was trying to get across to you on your other threads OMG was that this affair was a terrible idea because your H's behaviour has been so hideous that he needed to know how unhappy you were and the consequences of that, but having an affair is the ultimate covertly expressed choice and therefore you weren't showing your H the real damage he'd done over the years - and he needed to know that.

You were very vulnerable and it's easy to understand why you were tempted by an affair and kind words, but it's never fair or given what I've said above, even sensible to punish someone without telling him you're doing it and it's certainly not fair to hurt others collaterally in the process, e.g. the OM's wife and her children. I said to you before that this is about owning your choices, not expressing them passively and silently and hurting others who have done you no harm.

What puzzles me about your NPD diagnosis with the OM and your hatred of him now is that it was you who pushed this from a friendship into affair territory, as I recall. You were the one who started flirting and pushing for this to be more than an online friendship which as I recall had progressed perfectly normally and happily for a year or so beforehand. If the OM had been a narcissistic opportunist and a serial adulterer, I would have thought he would have made the first move and tried to have an affair much sooner. I remember on your original thread thinking that this bloke wasn't particularly angling for an affair and wouldn't have taken the responsibility for starting one, but that when you made your agenda clear, he possibly said "why not?" and found that he was enjoying a fairly safe but thrilling adventure, after being married for years.

There could be all sorts of reasons why he pulled back from this relationship with you, but you seem to discount the most obvious ones, which is that he felt that this was becoming too threatening and too emotional and he realised this was likely to damage his marriage, so he pulled back. Or that his wife found out, of course.

You invested a lot in him because you shared your secrets with him and it sounds at the very least that he has been unkind in the way he stopped this friendship, but really it wasn't his place to rescue you - his first loyalty should have been to his wife and family.

This brings me to one of the other reasons affairs are a very bad choice - you have found that you have become very damaged by it - not just because you believe you have been treated cruelly by yet another man, but because you feel that you have lost the moral high ground. Just as your affair was disastrous because the brief happiness stopped you from making the most sensible choice to get out of this marriage, there's a real risk that your guilt will prove to be the same barrier.

Don't let it. Forgive yourself as far as your H is concerned - he broke his marriage vows years ago.

Concentrate on making this the catalyst for more important change. Get that counselling urgently, please.

cathkidstonbag · 29/04/2011 17:22

WWIFN - no actually it turned out he had been interested in taking it further for some time but I hadnt realised. And I can see how you would come to the conclusion about his behaviour but he really was the one who kept pushing it further and had his own agenda. And the reason he pulled back was because he'd found someone else, not that his wife had found out!
But yes counselling is the best idea at the moment. And guilt won't stop me leaving right now but emotionally I can't cope with the thought of that right now.

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