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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

In rare moments of clarity I wonder...

54 replies

skatingonice · 12/01/2013 13:36

Have NC. In rare moments of ?clarity? I wonder what I am doing here? But then I think I?m being unreasonable and should be happy with what I have as there aren?t any real problems?

Background, with DP for 12 years. No DC but joint finances and large mortgage. 2 years ago got engaged. Shortly after (1 ? 2 weeks) DP behaviour changed suddenly. Became very moody, started picking fights, being argumentative, very critical of me. All this came out of no where and was very upsetting. He started going out at night more frequently, several times a week, and where previously I would drop off / pick him up after (lived in countryside) he was now getting lifts from ?a friend?. He was also phone guarding like crazy, never done previously, and changed his FB and Phone passwords. There was more but you get the point. This drove me crazy. Eventually I accused him of having an affair and left that same night. He begged me to come back so he could explain. Returned 24 hours later (after realising I had no-where to go!) and he said he had become V good friend with girl at work and didn?t tell me as I would be jealous. Note; I have no form for jealousy and he has many female friends I have no issues with! We agreed to make a go of things but he was to be honest etc etc.

The next 6 months still not good, he was still phone guarding, still seeing her and not telling me (But maintains this wasn?t lying), she was coming to our house when I was away (I work away on regular basis), shutting down FB when I entered room, stopped coming to bed with me and started stopping up till the early hours. But I relocated to the other side of the country with work, he came with so now there was at least distance between them. He was still messaging and being secretive, he convinced me this was all in my head, I was very stressed, lost a lot of weight and started to doubt myself.

Some friends supported me I was ok and got back to good health; checked his phone ? picked it off table in front of him, he fought to get it back? and the only msg not deleted was him sending xxx to her and she replied with same. Another ?talk? and now he tells me he is helping her through a tough time as she keeps having affairs with other married men and cant talk to anyone else as they all know her DH. Showed me some of her emails which supported this. They were very sexually explicit about what she did with these other men. I told him this was not a normal exchange between friends and was told I was weird and of course it was, I?m too narrow minded and most women talk like this to their friends? he refused to stop the friendship, i told him to be more honest, tell me when they talked and to cut back on contact. Long story short she got pregnant, he lost interest, they fell out.

3 months ago, a male acquaintance of ours breaks up with his casual partner, DP now texting this girl, did her a favour that?s how he had phone number? text messages become more frequent to the point that its all night every night, the evenings I?m home and not away with work I just got totally ignored whilst he sat on his phone. This time he is honest that he is sending messages and who to. I tell him this is not on and that things cannot go down this route again, I feel stronger this time then I did before, almost detached from the whole thing. Have also told him to pull his weight around the house.

So now he?s still messaging her but in the day or once I?m in bed or out etc. I know as they use Whatsapp and I can see when he was last on line. She is the only person he messages on this. I have checked his phone twice but the message history is cleared. She has a problem where she keeps getting into relationships with married men? he is just been a friend. They are messaging several time a day, I have told him I don?t think this is respectful in the bounds of a relationship? but now hes just hiding it and I cant prove anything! Plus, I don?t think there is anything going on. He said she flirted with him but he ignored this and they just have general chit chat.

Am I being over sensitive based on what happened before. I believe there is nothing sexual going on between them. Just because this is more intense then my friendships doesn?t make it wrong? Why do I feel so conflicted?

OP posts:
dequoisagitil · 12/01/2013 15:19

I don't really know where to begin with your last message, op.

He puts this 'friendship' with this woman ahead of your relationship, ahead of your pain. I dunno where he finds the time to do all this messaging and energy for 'emotionally supporting' of someone else, but I'm damned sure it's at your expense.

Anniegetyourgun · 12/01/2013 15:21

It sounds like you've done really well for yourself. Now all you have to do is ditch the cheating loser and find yourself a decent partner to share it with. Someone who thinks of you as the person he wants to communicate with.

Skyebluesapphire divorced her husband on the strength of 100 texts a day to another woman, just sayin'. (And how very right she was.)

CogitoErgoSometimes · 12/01/2013 15:22

If he had a shred of respect for you he would agree to NO messages whatsoever. After his last affair when you broke up and you were so ill and needed support from friends, what were the conditions of you getting back together? What did he commit to in order to regain your trust... if anything?

DuchessFanny · 12/01/2013 15:30

Starting to consider that i dont need evidence and that just being unhappy is good enough.

quite. You deserve better OP !

skatingonice · 12/01/2013 15:31

CogitoErgoSometimes Yes i might have fucked up on the conditions of getting back together. The whole situation floored me and i wasnt at my strongest... very out of character for me. I was the one who ended up making changes to myself for him. Looking back i think i was depressed and trying to cling on when i should have been stronger and let go. There were other big things going on in my life at this time too and i wasnt able to look and see the big picture.

This was before i found MN, had never even heard of EA. He had me convinced it was me at fault.

OP posts:
CogitoErgoSometimes · 12/01/2013 15:43

Yes, I thought that's probably how it played out. Severe shock and stress can make people do some very strange things. I'm glad you see that, by letting this unfaithful man back without any conditionality, it simply gave him carte blanche to carry on exactly as before. He now believes he can take you for granted and that there are no consequences to his behaviour.

The past is not so important as the future, however. Are you still taking medication for the depression because, if you'll pardon the observation, you seem rather detached from the whole thing. Like it's happening to someone else.

badinage · 12/01/2013 15:44

Have you accepted that he was having a physical affair with the first woman who kept coming to your house while you were away and with whom he fell out when she got pregnant?

And do you accept he's having an affair with the current woman?

Do you accept that he is gaslighting you into thinking that it's normal and acceptable to have these intense relationships where sex with fictitious others is described so graphically?

This ghastly tosser is a danger to your mental health.

Please, please get rid.

You will look back on this some day and won't be able to believe you put up with it for so long.

AlfalfaMum · 12/01/2013 15:46

Just tell him to fuck off, OP.

The pathetic excuse for a man has made you feel like shit for the last two years. He's trying to make you think he's not as bad this time just because he's rubbing your face in it doing it right in front of you. He's cruel.
You know you deserve better than this.

AnyFucker · 12/01/2013 15:55

Do you have "walk all over me" tattooed on your forehead?

This man is a sexually incontinent fuckweasel and you are being taken for stupid

skatingonice · 12/01/2013 16:02

Accept that he had EA with first woman - dont think it was physical

Think it could be approaching EA with second... 13000 msg... thats not general chit chat!

Yes, see now in hindsight he gas lights.

Not taking medication for depression never did... got to the point i told him if he was right and it was all me being unreasonable then i obviously wasnt well and i would go GP for medication and get counselling... at this point he conceeded it wasnt all me and he had made some mistakes to by keeping things from me etc. Convinced me not to go ahead (obviously as i was right all along!)

I do feel very detached now, have done for nearly 2 months. I'm not stressed like before, not upset, just feel like this is the end, i can see things clearly for the first time but instead of being angry and emotional it makes me sad. I feel sad Sad. I just worry so much that i'm making the wrong decision. What if i regret it? what if i end up worse off? I know how stupid these thoughts but guess i'm not alone in having them. He will fight for me, i know this so it will be really hard. Can't cut contact cos of house, will probably have to live together until sold, i have people i can go to for the odd nights etc

OP posts:
dequoisagitil · 12/01/2013 16:42

I don't think 13,000 messages is 'approaching' an EA, it is well over that threshold.

Anniegetyourgun · 12/01/2013 16:48

Would he fight for you to the extent of giving up texting other women about their sex lives? I think we know the answer to that

skatingonice · 12/01/2013 16:51

dequoisagitil yes it is isnt it. Why do i kid myself, im not this much of an idiot in the rest of my life. Love does strange things to you.

Anniegetyourgun Well he refussed to give up the texting last time, even if he did do it now i dont think it would be enough. He would do it again wouldnt he but keep it quiet?

OP posts:
badinage · 12/01/2013 17:35

Accept that he had EA with first woman - dont think it was physical

Oh come on love.

She was coming round to your house while you were away. She was sending your partner cuckold porn and you saw the e mails. Of course they were shagging!!

Apart from the risk to your sexual health, it doesn't really matter anyway whether pants came off, does it?

You don't have to live together after splitting up. Go to a good lawyer and get the fuck out of this relationship.

dequoisagitil · 12/01/2013 20:20

And I agree with badinage. The original affair was almost certainly physical - she was round your house while you were working away. They probably used your bed.

I'm sorry, really I am, I know that's a slap in the face - but you know it deep down, you just don't want to confront it. You want to believe him, and that's how he gets away with such lies and disrespect.

As a couple, you've never dealt with the original affair fully, just papered over. It gave him license to repeat his behaviour, and he has, in spades.

If he had any decency he'd leave you in the house while he sofa-surfed, if it came to it. But anyway, there are probably other ways you could get out of the house problem - get some real legal advice. You don't have to do anything with the knowledge, but it will help to know your options, it will give you strength.

AnyFucker · 13/01/2013 15:35

Who got the first ow pregnant, I wonder

skatingonice · 13/01/2013 19:11

AnyFucker ha ha, her husband aparently. Although there was a instance earlier in the year where she wasn't sure but ended up having a mc.

She did drive some distance to tell my DP in person but they hadnt seen each other in months by then.

Just had such a normal weekend, hard to believe this is going on in the back ground. If i could ignore it or it didnt matter to me it would be fine, but i cant and it does.

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 13/01/2013 19:33

If you could, and it didn't, I would fear for your mental health, tbh.

izzyizin · 13/01/2013 20:30

I was the one who ended up making changes to myself for him

Big mistake. Change back, dump the fucker, and get living for you.

You'll be infinitely better off without him and your only regret will be that you didn't ditch him sooner.

MarilynValentine · 13/01/2013 20:42

This man sounds pathetic.

I think you know that the relationship is irretrievable. He has lied for a long time and you've been far too generous in giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Fwiw I reckon the 'friend's' long drive to see your DP resulted in a tearful conversation about her being unsure who the father was. There is a possibility they discussed the chance it could be his.

Move on - you deserve so much better. Sounds like you've achieved a lot in your life; look forward to a time when you have a partner who treats you with respect and honesty. You can do it.

skatingonice · 14/01/2013 11:40

Well ended it last night. Feel really really Shit and am not sure this is what I wanted at all.

He tried to say he hadn't sent that many messages at first, then picked fault with me over using my phone etc then said how fucked up it was I checked up on him, then finally got the "I'll have to live in a Shit flat" "I won't get to see the dog"....

I feel so rubbish. Just want every thing to be ok

OP posts:
dequoisagitil · 14/01/2013 11:45

I think you've made the right decision, although it must be so tough for you right now.

But look at what he said when it came to it - denied what he did, made it out to be your fault, and then moaned about his future living accom and not seeing the dog.

He hasn't said a thing about being heart-broken to lose YOU. You deserve so much better than to be with a man who doesn't give a flying fuck about you.

Get angry, get strong and in a while the sun will come out and you'll be glad you got rid.

dequoisagitil · 14/01/2013 11:52

Get a friend/family member over, or go and see someone, and tell them. Let someone shore up your resolve.

MarilynValentine · 14/01/2013 12:10

Sorry you are feeling so crap Sad

But well done for being strong and taking that step.

Agree that calling up friends and family and getting all the support you can is a great idea.

Katisha · 14/01/2013 12:20

Yep its all about him isnt it. And how he got found out.
How terrible that he'll miss the dog. Perhaps he can text the dog instead now.

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