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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

Husband's affair - I'm completely broken, please help

445 replies

Janeysbroken · 18/03/2013 20:16

I found out last week that my DH of 22 years has been having an affair. It was with a woman he met online who is also married and ten years younger than me. I found out when her husband knocked on our door at midnight and told me, in a rage. Our 20 year old son heard everything and is inconsolable. When the husband had gone my DH told me he'd already finished the affair a few weeks earlier, he was drunk and it meant nothing. I was shocked and angry and unbelievably sad but he works away a lot and it's something I'd always feared. He swore it was the first time he'd been unfaithful in the 24 years we've been together.

The next morning I was burning up with anger and asked him to leave. I went out. He then phones me to tell me the OW has turned up at our house wanting to apologise and is demanding to speak to me. I was so livid I went home and grabbed his phone and called her. I told her he wasn't leaving, neither was I and he was drunk and she meant nothing to him. What followed has broken me.

She was obviously enraged by this. And told me the truth. He loved her, he hasn't finished it, had been meeting at hotels for four months, he said she was love of his life. Thousands and thousands of FB messages. To cut a long story short me and DH ended up driving down to their house that night as both me and OW needed answers from DH.

We all talked for almost two hours. He admitted he loved her, had told her she was love of his life, best friend and soulmate. He'd told her that morning that he loved her but couldn't leave because he has nowhere to go. He'd bought her presents. Talked to her almost constantly on FB for months. Said he was unhappy, I'm boring, our sex life is rubbish. But because i now knew he told her it had to stop and he's staying with me. She was crying and devastated. He'd told her we were just friends now and he hasn't felt anything more than friendship for me for over a decade. He was clearly besotted with her. And she with him.

I was having panic attacks. Can't eat. Want to kill her, him, myself. She showed me a FB message where he called me a boring twat. I thought we'd had a lovely day that day - we'd even had sex. He took her to a hotel the day after.

She refused to stop contacting him. Threatening to tell our 19 year old daughter (who still doesn't know) and his boss, which would get him sacked as he took her to hotels on fake business trips on expenses. I made it clear he couldn't ever speak to her again and was feeling physically like I might die. She then texts to say she's pregnant. Her husband phoned going mad as he says it's impossible it's his, it's my DH's.

My DH is, to his credit refusing to speak to her and has told her to have an abortion and never contact us again. Her husband phoned pleading for him to speak to her as she's slashed all her arms with a razor over the guilt of having to face an abortion. But I've told him I'll kill myself if he speaks to her again. Our son hates him. Our life is shattered and I'm destroyed.

I can't bear to think he loved her so much. It was plainly obvious. He claims not to now and I know he isn't in contact with her. Could he really have fallen out of love with her in the space of 24 hours? They'd just come back from a hotel when her husband found out and came to our house. I don't know what to do or think. I'm grieving and love him. I'm 48 and don't work or drive. I have nothing without him. He's my life. Please, please help me.

OP posts:
Janeysbroken · 18/03/2013 22:19

Ruprekt - We sleep in separate rooms because he snores so loudly I just can't get any sleep. Even on the rare occasions we do have sex (every two months or so) we return to separate rooms.

OP posts:
Badvoc · 18/03/2013 22:19

I think he is very sorry he has been found out!
Sorry he did it?
No.

MushroomSoup · 18/03/2013 22:23

I agree with badroc. If you are strong enough - or angry enough - you should ask him to leave for awhile to give you a bit of breathing space.

Xales · 18/03/2013 22:23

There is nothing to stop her having this child. There will then be his and her child which is a sibling to your children.

She may be in your life for the rest of it.

Do not lay the blame for his actions at anyone's feet but his. He has risked his job,your sexual health and your happiness for someone he now within a week has gone from loving and being his soul mate to no longer loving.

The only person out of the three of you he cares for is himself.

It is not you and him against her.

It is him for him and only him.

DragonMamma · 18/03/2013 22:25

I don't think he's sorry. At all.

I don't think he hates her either. Not in the slightest. He's just sorry he's been caught and it didn't happen the way that he'd imagined it. It's all come crashing down around him and he's got to think on his feet.

I don't think you can ever make this work, he just doesn't want to be with you. And your kids are 19 & 20, he's not going to really consider them in all of this, especially now they are adults.

He will leave. You won't kick him out. You'll do anything to keep him and I can imagine this will just make him despise you that little bit more. He can't love you, you need to accept this and get some self respect and start dealing with all of this. Your dignity is all you have left. Hang on to it for dear life.

YouBastard · 18/03/2013 22:25

I hate to say this, because I can see you're in pain, but your relationship is irretrievably broken whether he ever sees her again or not. I know this because I've been there. My relationship limped along for another year until I realised that we were wasting our lives on a relationship that would never really recover.

I think that you're going to do exactly the same as I did. If I had my time over again, I'd have kicked him out straight away, no matter how painful it was.

BettySuarez · 18/03/2013 22:25

Janey, I am at an absolute loss as to how you can bear to be within 10 feet of this man.

He is a vile putrid excuse for a human being. He doesn't love you.

He's not sorry that he had an affair, he's sorry that he was found out.

You are in shock, very understandably but you need to pull yourself together.

He needs to leave and give you some space to think this through.

What a horrible, horrible, horrible man.

PatriciaHolm · 18/03/2013 22:26

This isn't a competition between you and her. Stopping him talking to her will achieve nothing; your husband has successfully decieved you for months, he could carry on doing so. And he will.

You don't WANT him, really you don't, all he will do is continue causing you pain. He has already put his own needs above yours and your childrens; he doesn't care. He's sorry he got found out, but if you take him back, he'll just do it again, and again, because he knows he can. He's been having unprotected sex, he doesn't care about you at all.

He doesn't love you, hasn't for a long time. Please please get rid of the dead weight.

Ruprekt · 18/03/2013 22:27

I do not think you can make it work.

Thanks for answering the question.

I think he panicked when found out and now says he hates her. The who,e thing is a terrible mess and I really feel for you but he would be out on his ear if it were me!

Janeysbroken · 18/03/2013 22:30

Anyfucker - I understand what you're saying but I'm glad he hates her now. That he's told her all his love for her has gone. Seeing his son hate him and in so much pain has made him hate her. And she threatened his job. She said she only did that to try and get him to talk to her - so she could tell him about the pregnancy. I wouldn't let him so she blackmailed him. He then phoned his boss and told him himself to sort of pre-empt her. She then emailed the boss and stuck up for him saying he'd never neglected work when with her etc. I think so much shit has happened he'd never want to go near her again. It was only two weeks ago they were last together. Him telling her how he couldn't live without her and he loved her more than anyone. Now he says it's me he loves.

I don't know what is going on in his head.

OP posts:
DragonMamma · 18/03/2013 22:36

Janey, listen - He can't just switch his feelings off for her because of your son's reaction to this. He's talking absolute bullshit and deep down, you know it. It's not a drunken one night stand. He's systematically deceived you, put your health at risk and taken the absolute piss out of you, as a person in your own right.

She is not the problem. He is.

What's the saying 'you may have won the battle but you will never win the war'. You've had a short term 'victory' in securing this piece of slime, temporarily. But he WILL leave. Eventually.

I can imagine you sitting there, saying you're taking all of this in but secretly thinking that we don't know him, can't see the regret at the pain he's caused, he is genuine and sorry etc. He isn't any of those things. He's been caught on the hop and he's panicked. When he's had chance to regroup this will all come crashing down around you.

It makes me so angry on your behalf that he's got you to the stage where you believe all this crap. No woman is worth lowering herself to cutting a man off from the OW to stop him leaving.

Xales · 18/03/2013 22:36

All that is going on in his head is protecting number one.

He fucked another woman that is why his son hates him.

He and you are just vilifying the OW rather than this nasty treacherous git.

She clearly forced this helpless victim to have sex with her on multiple occasions, lie, cheat and deceive everyone. What a poor helpless poppet he is.

AnyFucker · 18/03/2013 22:37

The person he should be hating is himself

Love, the shock has made you lose yourself. I am sure that in any other circumstances you could not condone another human being treated so shabbily. I can't imagine you ever feeling kind thoughts towards the OW, but can't you see your husband has been an absolute cunt to her ? Who the fuck does he think he is ??

Too soon for you, of course. It will come though. If you are decent person, which I am sure you are, it will come.

AnyFucker · 18/03/2013 22:39

I don't know what is going on in his head.

And you never will. But you can be certain it isn't your welfare occupying that grey matter.

PatriciaHolm · 18/03/2013 22:39

He's panicking, as this wasn't in the game plan. Carrying on shagging behind your back whilst you kept house and family was.

That's gone,so he's desperately trying to back pedal. But you've seen what kind of man he is now, the real him. If you carry on as before, so will he - and that means the ilicit shagging, as soon as he can find someone else up for it.

thequeenoftarts · 18/03/2013 22:39

Its called damage limitation Janey.

He has already put her before you, before your children, before all that you thought safe n secure....how easy it is now to squeal and say omg I'm sorry, now that he has been caught and he risks losing his home, his wife, his children,his job, his finances, his freedom to do as he pleases with another woman.

He mocked ur relationship with his bit on the side, maybe while screwing her, they both laughed at you together.

You are in a state of panic, you will get through this, you will meet someone else, your children will survive,. He will contact her again, as sure as the moon rises in the sky, he will have to pay for this child and see it it she doent have an abortion, why should the child suffer for its parents sins?

Personally I'd see a solicitor in the morning, get a maintenance order in place, get the locks changed and pack his bags, he is a worthless piece of scum to do that to you both, and when caugh he hides behind your skirts, expecting you to fight his side..
You deserve far better hun xxx

nkf · 18/03/2013 22:42

Do you want to be part of this awfulness? Do you want to be embroiled in this squalid story about cheating and lying and unwanted pregnancy? Is this what your life is going to be? He had to confess to his boss? It's demeaning. Totally demeaning and it has nothing to do with you. Drop it. Please.

ImperialBlether · 18/03/2013 22:45

So he blamed you for his starting the affair and he's blaming her for how it is now, eh?

The moment I read that he'd called me a boring twat would be the moment I'd know it was all over. There's such contempt there - can't you see it?

Have you heard of hysterical bonding, OP? Don't be surprised if you and he suddenly get all fired up and have a fantastic sex life and become all close and happy. Look it up - it's happened to everyone who's had a shock like that. It's a way of your mind pretending you two are lovers.

It's at times like this that it would really help if you were working. You'd have the companionship of friends at work and the routine which helps you get through bad times. It stops you dwelling on things, too. What kind of job would you like, do you think? Plenty of women at your age go back to college - is there something you'd like to do?

AnyFucker · 18/03/2013 22:48

The hysterical bonding stage passes pretty quickly, btw.

Once you have "reclaimed" him, it all starts to taste a bit like ashes in the mouth....

bringbacksideburns · 18/03/2013 22:50

Why are you focusing on her? At the end of the day he hasn't even had the guts to support her whilst she deals with this pregnancy. He's such a coward he didn't even tell you and dragged you into all this shit when her husband turned up on your doorstep.

I would be focussing my fury on him not her. I would be beyond angry that your poor son was there and heard everything.
How can you bear to even be in the same room as this selfish, callous, cheating Liar??

You are 48, not 78. Your life is not over. It's the fear of the unknown that is terrifying you. He called you a boring twat and booked Hotels with her!
I really hope you get strong enough to kick him out, i really do. It doesn't matter what you thought your relationship was, he clearly didn't think it was that important. Harsh but true. He sounds horrible, i'm sorry.

Janeysbroken · 18/03/2013 22:51

Thank you. I'm sorry I'm just trying to get this all straight in my head. If I know he'll never go back to her and really doesn't love her anymore - and why would he after what she said to him last? - then that's what's making me hold on. 24 years has to be worth something.

Maybe he's treating her this way because he really has seen how much he loves me and his family. I can't see why he would want her anymore. I know he's done wrong but she's gorgeous and fun and she looks like she could have anyone she wanted. We were in a rut, I can see that now. It's just the strength of his messages to her. The long declarations of love and longing. I like reading and writing stuff, but never had the chance to better myself, but he's never expressed himself like that before.

Am I fooling myself?

OP posts:
jynier · 18/03/2013 22:52

Op - have just seen this thread; so very, very sorry for your dreadful experience.

I have no helpful advice apart from listen to AF; she is always spot-on!

Take care of yourself and try to make long-term decisions when you are over the initial shock. Best wishes, x

Xales · 18/03/2013 22:53

You are fooling yourself.

AnyFucker · 18/03/2013 22:55

Yes, love you are fooling yourself

he may never touch this one with a bargepole again, that is quite possible

he has discarded her like a piece of shit on his shoe

But you let this go with no consequences...it won't be long until another pretty lady catches his eye.

He won't even cry when he gets caught again. Just a shrug of the shoulders should be enough next time.

Skyebluesapphire · 18/03/2013 22:58

hmm yes, the hysterical bonding - my XH walked out, we talked for hours, he came back. We then had sex every night for nearly a fortnight. It felt like the relationship was new again, that we were both putting effort into it. he told me that he would never use me for sex.

At the time I had no idea that he was texting OW from 8am up to midnight. Texting her all day, all night, then going to bed with me. Our sex life was always good, had never ever been bad. In fact, the second time that he left me, the night before he left me, we had sex around 4 times in 24 hours. he still left. He spent all the next day texting OW.

It left me me several issues, including making me feel like nothing better than a cheap tart. and that he was only fucking me because he couldn't fuck her.

Don't become that person.

He betrayed you, then he told OW all these wonderful things, then betrayed her too.

so he has ruined two women's lives in a very short space of time.

What a lovely guy Hmm