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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

Your advice please??

11 replies

twins2cute · 22/12/2005 15:01

For a while I had been suspicious of my dh.
We have been together nearly 12 years. Married nearly 7 and have 3 & half year old twins. We have had a rough time over the past few years but have always been so strong and always there for each other.
Anyway my dh friend introduced my dh to a lady on msn. They started all catting and I knew about that. Then she asked my dh friend for my dh mobile no he asked first. I had no prob with any of this because we all belong to a voluntary organisation and they do training together.
It wasnt long before I noticed that my dh had changed his mobile phone habits. He never left it around and the messages on it were always deleted even though this was something I usually did every now and again as he never did it & my messages wouldnt get too him. He would every now and again make it obvious he had got a text but never let me see. I just had a feeling something was going on that I didnt know about. I overheard him one day answer his phone and all he said was I've got my kids around me. They asked who it was and he said it was a male friend but he had talked in such a strange way there was no way it was her. I got hold of his phone 2 days later and it was this womans no on call register.
So I set the msn to log messages. I went out. Later that night when he had gone to bed I opened it up and the messages on there didnt make good reading.
Things were said like
"Oh dear she thinks theres something going on" to which he replies "no she trusts me. That makes it hard". Various other things were written which were very hard to read. I phoned my friend to come and get me it was 12.30am.
We sat talking for ages and had convinced each other that it was all just msn messaging.
I went home the next day and started up a conversation with her. I did this because they had chatted quickly about going out for a drink. I did sort of know about this but didnt think he was serious about it! In 5 lines I had found out that they had been out for dinner before. He had lied to me about being with a work colleague. I felt crushed.
I spent 4 more nights at my friends house but came back in the day to be with the children. It was over 2 weeks ago now and Im struggling so much with it all.
If anyones got any advice I would appreciate it. I think the worse thing in all this was that I was happier than I had been in years in all areas of my life.
Its also hard to understand why he did it when he says that it was because he needed to learn how to talk to me again. So he takes a complete stranger out would have thought it should have been me he took out. Cant understand his reasons at all. He says he was doing it for us.
When I read the msn log he had opened up about some really personal stuff. He has since said that he was getting 10+ txts a day but that they were all just things like im bored at work. etc. but Ive got to take his word for it (which i cant at the moment)
How do I start trusting him again? I do really love him but is it enough?
Hope someone can help.

OP posts:
7777777 · 22/12/2005 20:16

hiya, im so sorry for your upset. i havent really got any experience with unfaithful husbands as been single parent for 12 years. im sure there are other ladies on here who can give you loads of advice and reassurances about what to do next.good luck. il check back in and see how youre getting along.xx

mancmum · 22/12/2005 20:50

I have read this quickly so forgive me if I have missed something out but... he has explained this away by saying he was basically using her to practice how to talk to you??

If that is the case, then I am sorry to be hard but that is rubbish and I think you have a real issue here in your relationship... how did he take it when you were away for 5 nights? Has he made any efforts to work through your issues?

Sounds to me like he is in dangerous waters with this woman -- and to say he is doing it for the family sounds like a quickly thought up cover story...

If I were you, I would have a long long chat with him about where you two have been and where you are going, what he wants and think etc -- best way is with relate if you find it hard...

Good luck!

overdraft · 22/12/2005 22:15

Sorry agree with last post this is a load of rubish.Are they still seeing each other? If so this has got to stop a.s.a.p.
How far did it get then are they sleeping together?
Texting him even to say she is bored at work is out of order.He is taking from your realationship and investing it elseware.
I have heard it all now.He takes another woman out to dinner to practise.Oh goodness me.

twins2cute · 23/12/2005 01:01

no they arent seeing each other anymore.
They didnt sleep together although there was a peck on the lips. His words.

He didnt like me being away for the 5 nights. He was devastated by it all.

He really seems convinced that he was doing it to help us. I will never understand it and just dont know what to do next really.

Trying to keep it together over Christmas but feel like im falling apart inside.

Wasnt going to post about this but just dont want to burden anyone around me with all of this. Have received great support & advice in past from mumsnet.

OP posts:
maturer · 23/12/2005 15:00

Honey I'm so sorry you are going through this "limbo" at the moment.
Speaking as someone who is about 2 years on recovering from my dh affair with a work colleague I hope I can help you in some way.We are still together and we are very much recovering. My dh went through some sort of "mid-life crisi" and started being just friends with a work colleague, emails, texts, coffee after work meet then it slowly tuened into a fuul- sex- affair and nearly devistated me and our family. However we are doing well now and he has sorted his head out and as a couple we are strongre (I still have the odd off day- but it's part of the recovery)
As for your situation- I'm afraid i think your dh is still not tellinbg the whole truht (mine0 whom I never evr would have said could do what he did- after20 years together) told me he's got friendly with a colleague at work and thouht he loved her- but he loved me too. At that point he told me it had got as far as kisses- he was lying (I later discovered, they'd been sleeping together for several weeks by then_ as he was afraid of losing me and the kids and partly denial of what alow thing he'd done.
At the start 0 I like you belived what he said- but still felt devistated- I truely believe even if there is no sex it is still an affair if a partner is giving away part of himself and his life which should only be given to you!
Anyway- sex or not- he's betrayed your trust and deceived you and you now feel your world is falling apart and don't know where to turn.
You must talk to him- and I mean deep honest spare no feelings talking. The only way to recover from this is "no more secrets" even if he's saying there's nothing to hids you must show him how it's made you feel. Ask him how he'd feel if it were you with a male friend same senario!!!!!!!! It would tear him apart. Whatever has happened he has to see how you seethis as a betrayal and now feel you can't trust him.
i would suggest you both get some counselling - seperately first (until my dh did this he was in denial about what he was doing and kept lying to me)I needed help as I felt the emotions of anger, pain love disbelief were so overwhelming they'd destroy me and I needed to feel sane again. later when we'd both sorted out our own feelings we did some sessions together.
This does not have to be the end of your world but you cannot ignore it- you need to get your dh to sit down with you and go through everything- no matter how hurtful- only then can you move on. If you try to carry on as if nothing has happened it eats away at you- believe me.
Keep talking honey you can get through this.

maturer · 23/12/2005 15:06

by the way there must be absolutely no contact between them if you are ever to trust again

twins2cute · 23/12/2005 19:17

Maturer you have said it all so well. I think I am just trying to get through christmas at the moment.
Christmas is always hard anyway as my nan died on christmas morning 10 years ago this year. Every christmas since has been so hard.
I was looking forward to this one with the boys being 3 & half their really excited about it and im trying to get enthusiastic for them but its difficult.
Not sure what will happen after christmas but I think we will have to try relate or something. I dont want us to end.
I think the hardest thing for me was that I was the happiest I had been in a long time and was giving as far as I was concerned 150% to our relationship in all ways. Its left me feeling that it wasnt enough so what now?
He says thats why he did lie to me because he didnt want to upset me and that he was doing it for us. I just cant understand it at all.
I believe him when he says there was nothing more than a peck on the lips as I got suspicious too quickly but it does leave me to wonder what might have happened if I hadnt found out.
Its just changed my whole view of him as a person and I just dont know how to sort that.

Anyway Christmas is nearly here. Think I will feel really drained with all the pretending but it needs to be done. Havent told my mum & dad about this.
Thankyou for your reply and if you have any ideas to help me I would appreciate them. Hope you have a peaceful & happy Christmas.

OP posts:
overdraft · 23/12/2005 22:31

Hi there again

Really sorry I didn't mean to sound so blunt yesterday. Having a bad day and you were the second person in a couple of days on here with husband having an affair.It is happening more and more on here

I should explain that i am trying to get through this christmas 6 months after i discovered my dh was having an affair.

My dh is the kindest sweetest man i have ever met and he is truly sorry.This is why I know he is worth staying with.It was so totally out of character for him.I was in shock and so was anybody that knows him.I know how you are feeling.

I saw this woman opperating on my dh he is so kind and she took atvantage.He began to talk alot more with her,she confided in him about how unhappy she was at home and with her husband.She manipulated him into thinking she was helping him and she had his best interests at heart.She too would text him telling him things like where she had gone shopping , what she was cooking the kids for tea and this turned into sex texts then an affair.

Don't underestimate any other woman getting this close to dh.I am not talking about friends.Women have a buit in radar and i didn't trust my own instincts and wished i had.

Keep coming on here for support as it helped me loads.love to you at this time xxxxx

lastofthemulledwine · 23/12/2005 23:25

I really can't offer you any more advice than that proffered by Maturer. You definitely can get through this (together) if you insist upon and are willing to accept total honesty. Then you just have to work your way through any revelations and all of the ensuing emotions (there will be lots of them and it will take a long time).

Chances are that if you deal with the underlying reasons for the problem, your relationship could improve significantly. It won't ever be the same again, but you will get there if that is truly what you want.

Don't even consider trying to deal with all of this during the Christmas period. New year=New Start, beginning with total honesty. Find yourself a good babysitter and insist that this gets discussed truthfully. My (personal) opinion is that it is better if you can start this process without Relate (so your DH is honest with you without the prompting and inhibiitons of a witness) and then by all means go to Relate to help with the rebuilding process.

I wish you the happiest Christmas you can have. Enjoy it with your boys, let your DH do the same and stay strong. Will keep checking back.

notasheep · 23/12/2005 23:57

Sorry,i cant really add anymore advice however,my bestfriends dh had an affair,she found out and decided to stay with him.2 years have now passed and they have split,I asked her why? she doesnt love him anymore and just cant trust him.

Hope you can talk things through

maturer · 24/12/2005 11:18

why not set aside the talking to the new year and use the holiday time to take care of each other and appreciate the good things of family life- then hopefully you'll start the talking focused on why you are together in the first place.
Take care- your world will go on and it can, in time become stronger and better.

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