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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

Marriage ended after 27 years. This is "My Death".

874 replies

mrsmciver · 12/05/2013 12:43

My husband left 4 weeks ago after I found some dubious e-mails to another woman he works with. I have posted about this on another thread, but still need the support from all you lovely ladies out there.
I asked him to go to his mum's after I went mad screaming and shouting and both of us crying. He went to his mum's, then round to my parents explaining himself and accepting all the blame.
I still let him in the house later that night and we both sat talking and crying about how we would get over this, then he collected some things and went back to his mothers.
I phoned him the next morning demanding the ow mob number but he would not give it to me as he said i would jeapardise his job if she went to his boss. We were both still crying and he asked what to get for his breakfast as his mum only has fried food and he likes to keep fit and eat well so he went to shop to buy that and washing powder for his clothes.
He also came up later that afternoon and we both talked some more. He said he had been very flattered by the attentions of this high powered business woman and had got carried away, swore there was nothing physical.
He told me he would give me her mob number once I had calmed down and to be careful what to say to her as it would cost him his job. he said he would give it to me the next morning whilst on the train as he was away for a few days on a business meeting.
Next morning he phoned and gave me her number, I put it in the drawer as after all the trauma I could not face calling her, was in no state to do so. later that evening after another sleepless night, he phoned sounding like his normal self, and I told him I had not contacted her, but he probably knew that as she would have phoned him if I had.
I then asked him when he was coming home and he said he wasn't. he said it was so out of character for him to do that and that the blinkers had been taken off his eyes and that he must have been very unhappy to have done it in the first place.
I got very upset, begged him to come home, but he won't. He is staying at his mum's. I ended up in hospital after trying to end it all. Can't imagine life without him. And now he wants to settle all our financial affairs and divorce. Am distraught. We have two daughters, one is sitting her Higher exams right now and the other is expecting a baby. They have been so wonderful, they are so strong, told me I am better without him. He had been treating me badly weeks before and I knew something was "off", that was why I had looked at his phone.
He has said he can't forgive me for looking at his phone and have now destroyed all trust. And that I would make his life hell as I would now be paranoid and forever questioning what he is doing.
He says he has no energy left, nothing to give, and that my health problems have drained him. I have anxiety and stress. But it is not as if he was a carer, I did most things for him! He doesn't know what he wants, but he knows he does not want "this.
I am devastated, cannot do this anymore. Have been a mess, shaking stuttering, he was over Frid night and said he is never coming back and that we will be divorcing.
How do I do this? How can I live without him? We have been married for 27 years, ever since we were 15 years old.
I always had a feeling I would die early, in my forties, and this is it, this is "my death", I will never get over this. It is getting worse.

OP posts:
mrsmciver · 02/06/2013 20:30

I'm back!!
Had a meltdown there, oldest daughter came round, she must have known instinctively that i 'wasn't right'. Thank goodness she and all of you on here have talked some sense into me. It seems to be when I am on my own. It is the injustice of it all - he, bastard face, will be telling all and sundry that he wasn't happy when I know that is not true! Yes, defo the month before he left was awful because I knew he was up to something and we were arguing all the time. It is all the lies he will be telling that is getting to me as well, and his stupid family will be believing it.
I want revenge so badly!
Sorry ladies, know I got pathetic there, felt like I was going round in circles and couldn't stop getting myself in a state.Blush

OP posts:
skyeskyeskye · 02/06/2013 21:26

MrsM - glad you are OK. and Mumngran is talking sense, but when you are in the grip of it, it is not easy to get out of...

A family member lost a child not quite 3 years old. She cried and ranted that she wanted her back and my mum had to tell her quite firmly that it just wasn't going to happen :( - for her own good. My mum wasn't being mean to her, but had to try and get through to her somehow.

I know that my XH will be the same as yours - the old - oh we hadnt been happy for ages... well, the family photos, the loving cards and the sex and the cuddles all belie that story...... You were smart, you were onto your H and what he was up to. He got caught out and takes it out on you, rather than accept the blame himself.

At the end of the day, you know the truth, and what his friends and family think really dont matter. Dont give them a second thought.

I know how hard it is to get through this, I really do, and so do a lot of others on here. The raw pain, the grief, but I keep saying it, you do have so much to look forward to.

It is a serious offer by the way, if you want my phone number for somebody to talk to of an evening, then please PM me. I am usually sat her doing nothing while DD is in bed, apart from being on MN all night. Please never sit there feeling desperate. Or ring the Samaritans. There is always somebody to talk to.

I am glad that you have got through this moment.

mrsmciver · 02/06/2013 21:55

Skye, lovely Skye, are you sure? I do not want to be a burden to people. I know you have been through the same thing and for you to have to listen to me in RL as well............
Do not think it would be very pleasant for you to hear me wailing at times, I get in a right heaving moaning state.
Thank you for your offer, I do appreciate it. I will PM you in the next couple of days.xxx
Meant to say, in the early days I was never off the phone to The Samaritans. They were really brilliant with me, funnily enough, it was mainly men that I ended up talking to, and the first thing they said to me was 'are you alright talking to a man about this as you probably hate us all right now'. And I said no, I am fine talking to a man about this as I have nothing against men at all(just bastard face). They were all calm and considerate when talking to me and they all tried to make me see the positive things in my life. In fact, at times, it was nice to have a comforting male reassuring voice.

OP posts:
mrsmciver · 02/06/2013 21:59

Ladies, it is ok for you to tell me to get a grip when I am about to have a meltdown, I won't take offence, and it is what I need at the time.
So do not worry about offending me at all!
It is what I need to get back on track.xxxThanks

OP posts:
skyeskyeskye · 02/06/2013 22:06

No, please do. I am a good listener, I can understand what you are going through and empathise. But also, being further down the line, I do know that it gets better and even though I am not 100% there yet, I know what I have to do. It won't just be two of us going "woe is me". I will tell you straight. lol.

I get bored of an evening, it'll give me something to do Grin.

MumnGran · 03/06/2013 06:10

Bless you Mrs M Smile welcome back to a new day, and a better handle on things.
Never apologise for having a meltdown!! we all have. And thank you for not taking offence ..... I am afraid that I tend to do "tough love" or so my girls tell me. Have every sympathy in the world with upset, but always have appreciated someone telling me "enough now", so tend to take the same stance. It is so easy to get into a spiral of 'down', isn't it? I have been truly lucky in having a friend (from school days!) who only lets me get so far before she stops the downward trend.

There will be more meltdowns at some point ...... but never, ever think that the sympathy well doesn't re-set to full, each time Smile

So, so glad you had your daughter there for you. Aren't they just amazing!! we pour all our love into our DC's and yet never really expect that they will become our rocks in this sort of crisis. At least I didn't have that expectation.

So....what is on your agenda for this week?

MumnGran · 03/06/2013 06:35

....and just realised, on re-reading - that the whole "what is on the agenda" thing, was a key for me in moving forward.
( anyone else find that too, or is it just me? )

Can you start having a major clear out? Sell some old stuff on ebay .... old stuff that he really liked and you were never so keen on would be a great place to start. We all have those things! ( such a shame there is no icon for - I am being a bitch, and its great!! ). My ex owned a pair of mounted horns ...yeeeuck, says a lot! First thing I offloaded Grin

Might also help with finance, but be a bit careful as you don't want an accusation that you are selling assets (so sadly, the Tudor dining set might not be able to go Grin Grin ) Small items, you can just "not be able to find" .....how sad!!

I used to set myself challenges. No idea what you do/don't do .....but one that springs to mind is perhaps learning how to sell on ebay? one of your friends will be doing it, I am quite certain. You could ring around, tee up a visit and have a lovely afternoon being taught how to work it all.

Or (in case you are already an ebay expert Blush ) ...... is there something else that you know in your heart that you should tackle? you will need to make a new Will !! thats a bit depressing, but it occupied a chunk of my time thinking it through. I spent time protecting myself from the X ..... changed the landline number, set up a new email account etc etc.
My best suggestion is going away for a quick mid-week break..... if you can. Tell the girls that they shouldn't tell anyone, as its best that your X doesn't know you are away .... and then go stay with a friend that you haven't seen for a while. Just a couple of days. And definitely have one of the nights as a 'wine & whinge' event Grin

None of these may work for you ....but have no doubt you can come up with your own list. Really isn't about what you do, but about making schedules and targets which occupy your mind.

x

Lambzig · 03/06/2013 08:50

Mumngran, that's such good advice. If the days are dragging a bit, then having a plan for the next couple of weeks is great.

I think a clear out is cathartic. I take your mounted horns and raise you life size R2D2.

skyeskyeskye · 03/06/2013 09:47

XH's clothes fitted in a couple of binbags and everything else he owned fitted into about 3 cardboard boxes. He didn't ask for or take anything else. I think if I hadn't bothered boxing up his books, dvd's etc he would have just left them all here.... he changed his entire appearance including his aftershave... it's like he didn't want anything at all from his old life.....

He only had a few personal possessions, relating to his old hobby. He seems to go from one "life" to the next without ever taking anything with him, he just leaves it all behind....

good advice from mumngran there , find something that you want to do and do it...

Lambzig · 03/06/2013 10:10

Another thought, I don't know how your health impacts on your ability to exercise, but if you can do something, that might help.

Doing some exercise outside the house can Be brilliant. It gives you a plan and a structured reason to get out, it acts as a natural anti depressant, it will make you feel in control of something, no matter how minor. I can remember when ExH left, getting to the gym every day really gave me a mindless purpose and stopped me howling on the sofa all day.

I know thr gym isn't for everyone, but any exercise that you plan for would work.

springytate · 03/06/2013 10:13

MInd you, I sometimes can't think of what to do in the next 'few weeks'. Sometimes it's what I can do today. If I start projecting forward, then I say 'STOP; just do what you're doing today and draw a curtain beyond that'. Tomorrow, see to that day. etc. Each day a little oasis iyswim.

You're functioning, mrs - you cooked a chicken supper the other night. That's not half bad imo Smile

mrsmciver · 03/06/2013 10:14

He has already taken all his stuff, just have some paperwork/documents left.
I suppose they could go missing right enough.
However think he has taken my birth certificate as I can't find it anywhere.
Ow has changed her facebook page, before it used to have her and her husband on it, now it has her and a friend on it, don't know if that means anything.
I am so full of hate and revenge now that I can't think straight. I am starting to scare myself.Shock

OP posts:
springytate · 03/06/2013 10:17

It helped me to cut up his clothes. Are there any clothes left hanging around you could cut up? It's very therapeutic.

mrsmciver · 03/06/2013 10:40

Yep I really only take one day at a time right now. But I know my family have all got things planned for the next few days.
We are all, 3 generations of us, going to descend on baby shops to look for cot, chest of drawers, baby girly stuff! There will be lots of oooing and aahing!
Am looking forward to that. Going to meet a pal for a spot of lunch soon, done Asda the other day, may now give Morrisons a try! Livin the high life I am now!! My pal is very grounded and she will set me goals for the week ahead, she will try to keep me 'proactive'.
If it just involved gleeful revenge on bastard face and dirty slutty mare, you would see the skid marks as I disappeared off in the distance to do it!!

OP posts:
mrsmciver · 03/06/2013 10:43

Erm, skid marks as in I would be 'running'.
Given that I can't run anyway that would be a feat in itself!!
Just diggin a hole for myself here aren't I??
Grin
xxx

OP posts:
springytate · 03/06/2013 11:17
Grin

back to the diary idea...

you could fill in one 'activity' per day. Gives you a structure, anyway.

Today I'm supposed to be making a dress for somebody for a wedding.

Get me started somebody Confused

MumnGran · 03/06/2013 19:48

Mrs M .... well here I am, back on the thread, and I have a really important entry for you to make in your diary.

I am not sure when your DD is due, but you need to put a big red ring around the date because your world is going to change, again, in the most profound way. You are going to fall in love all over again with your tiny grandchild, and it is going to change your life. It is JUST the same feeling as falling in love with your own.

I have just spent the day caring for my 22 wk old adored 1st grandson, and I have to tell you Mrs M .... there is no high like it. Looking at the huge grin when they see you is the cure for almost any ill. Seeing their small face for the very first time is a magic beyond price.....and its all yours, and all to come.

So .... when is your red letter day ?????? that would be a big red G Grin

mrsmciver · 03/06/2013 23:01

My red letter day is in September!!
My gorgeous, beautiful grandaughter will arrive and we will be so glad to see her at long last!
She will be adored, loved greatly, spoiled and very much wanted. She has lots of family who will want to spend time with her and cherish her.
She will be ours, she will be all of us, she will be the world.Smile

Talking about it now makes me go all tingly!

OP posts:
mrsmciver · 03/06/2013 23:14

That has cheered me up talking about my grandaughter.

I don't know what is wrong with me lately but I have been 'regressing' quite a lot. Maybe because I know he is away seeing her with his work?
He is keeping me so short of money that he is now texting his daughters asking if they need new clothes etc as he knows I can't buy anything for them. It is constant emotional blackmail, he hasn't been in touch with them for a week, and now asking if they need anything new?
The girls are not answering as they don't want anything to do with him now. They are so ashamed and embarrassed by him.

Lovely day here today, my pal and I went to the park and it was sooo nice, it was quiet, and the view was beautiful, we could see countryside for miles, and some people were down below in a valley having a picnic, it was just idyllic.
My poor pal, she must be fed up of me mumping and moaning, but she does talk very good sense and makes me try to see reason with a lot of things.

OP posts:
skyeskyeskye · 03/06/2013 23:22

your friend sounds great MrsM. my friends have got me through the past year and they try and keep me going now and dont let me dwell on things.

I am glad that you have had a good day and sound quite positive.

Regression is only normal and part of the whole rollercoaster ride. Good days and bad days.

Every time that you think of him, try and think of your granddaughter instead, think of things you can treat her to and things you can do with her.

MumnGran · 04/06/2013 07:01

What a great goal for you Mrs M
Your grand-daughter will know and love a strong, confident, independent woman. You will be able to offer her a great role model.
With its own piece of your longed for revenge, as X will have so little part of this precious bundle of joy

springytate · 04/06/2013 10:53

My ex did this - kept me short of money but directly paid for things for the kids. If I wanted to get the kids something I had to hold it at the shop for him to come in and pay for at a later date. When the kids wanted to buy me a mobile (back in the day when mobiles were relatively new. Yes, I go back a bit!), he took them to the shop and bought the cheapest brick of a thing - Dom Jolly-esque.

So he was mr bountiful and I was downtrodden grudge. Your kids are old enough to see through this grotesque transparency on his part. No wonder they are embarrassed.

You may realise he's been doing this all along - keeping you in your place. It's a shock to realise it but it does help you to find yourself again when the dust settles. Sounds like you have great friends who, I'm sure, completely support you in this awful shock.

mrsmciver · 04/06/2013 11:00

Ok, so today it is lovely and sunny outside, I am going to go to the shops and get something nice for dinner. I can do that with my mum.
My youngest daughter is upset this morning over the smallest thing. She has been really strong but because I had to reduce our media package for the tv she is upset over that as she cannot watch her comfort programmes. Isn't it odd how we can be strong over the big things but it is the little things that can send us over the edge?
I feel for her, she is upstairs having a sob on her own, she wants to be by herself, so will leave her for now. Sad
I hate him so much, he sent me a friendly text saying if I need any gardening to be done just to let him know, but he is very busy with work at the mo. I'll bet he is, that is all he has to concern himself about now! He will be trying to be nice to me to get the girls on his side.

OP posts:
MumnGran · 04/06/2013 11:47

God he really is going for the classic tactics isn't he!
"I am Mr Nice Guy, and trying to be so supportive" .....placing you in the 'no-win' situation of either having to accept, or seeming to be the one who won't play nice.

Truly the sooner you get this divorce the better!!

skyeskyeskye · 04/06/2013 11:58

It's sad isn't it. My XH cut the maintenance another £10 a week recently. I do have Sky, on the basic package only, but it will be the first thing to go if things get tight and then DD would lose all her channels....

Next time he asks DD if she wants any clothes, she can tell him that she wants a tv package!

What an arsehole your X is. I know that tv is only tv, but it is a big deal to kids.

Tell him you would love help with the gardening, then when he comes round tell him exactly where he can stick the shovel Grin. Then smack him over the head with it and bury him under the patio [evil grin emoticon]

What a prick. My Xh did the same. Oh I will still come round and mow the lawn etc. Like I wanted him anywhere near the place!