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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:
MumnGran · 04/06/2013 12:06

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

Sorry you also are having a tough time, but what a brilliant response, Skye Smile How about suggesting your DD runs that tack, too, Mrs M
.....when she is feeling a bit brighter. It was watching my girls upset that really kindled my rage. However supportive of us, their own worlds have crumbled. So sad, and I felt so helpless. Mine compounded it by treating them so badly they now have almost zero communication.

skyeskyeskye · 04/06/2013 12:10

Mumngran - yes, I was meaning MrsM's DD, I didnt put that very well, did I, lol.

One of my main struggles is how a man could walk out on a child about to turn 4..... I dont feel that I will ever be able to forgive him for that!

MrsM - your DD's are older and sadly able to see for themselves what your X has become and how it will affect them :(

MumnGran · 04/06/2013 12:25

No .... think I'm just having a dim day, Skye!

downunderdolly · 04/06/2013 13:03

Hello. Dropping in again after a while but I've been more or less keeping up to date and so so pleased that you are finding such amazing and wise and lovely support on here and that you are keeping on going Mrs M. Truly. Its like a death and whilst you need to know your audience, its sounds like your pal in the park truly gets it so don't feel bad for 'going on'. It would be a miracle if you didn't. You bet your life on someone and when that goes wrong it has a huge ripple effect on not just you but you DC and all that know you.

Skye - my ex left when DS was 2.5. I could not fathom how he could, or forgive him, but for your DC they will grow up not really having a sense of having been 'left' or knowing anything different. That is a great sadnes for you (me) but for them almost better than a few years later. Not to make you feel sad Mrs M. At least your girls are old enought to see if for what it is but that is not to gloss over its huge impact. My best friends parents divorced when she was in her late 30's and that has been hard. You are never too old to want your parents to be together.

MrsM. I wonder if you could/would want to plan something off beat/unusual to give you something to look forward to; something you would not have usually done but may be huge fun. I don't know what that may be but here (I'm exiled in Oz) my DS and I are doing 8 hour each way long w/end (we get the Queens B'day in the colonies!!) road rip to the southern hemispheres largest rodeo and camp draft....I have zero previous interest in horses and rodeos BUT figure what the hey...sounds like an experience and I've found the trick to get through tough times that you may not wish is to play up the positives (without sounding too Pollyannaish) of a situation...ie. its easy for me and DS to pick up and have an adventure as we can share a motel room, don't have to fit in with family and friends (as we have few over here) and throw ourselves into something that may be HUGE fun and maybe HUGE NOT fun....when I was single and thought I would not have kids in my early/mid 30s I did the same but different....perhaps think of something that you can do now that you couldn't do when married???

Lots of love and even though I don't know you I think of you and am cheering you on.

Dolly x

mrsmciver · 04/06/2013 16:41

Hi dolly. Can you come and live with me for a while?Grin. xxx
Hi Skye and Mumn, yep you are right it just seems to be the little things to us but for a child having her tv viewing taken away is a huge thing for her. No more Mtv, comedy central or Spongebob square pants! She still watches that even though she is 16 years old!
He is a piece of work, he knows I can't buy the girls much with the money he is giving me and then to text them saying 'do you need any clothes, shoes, things for baby etc' . Hope to see you soon. Thankfully the girls are not stupid and not falling for it!
Had a 'moment' in the bank this afternoon, child benefit has been put into the wrong account and is now floating in the ether somewhere! It is up to the bank to sort this but they want me to get in contact with exh to sort it, as it was put into old joint a/c.
They wouldn't accept it when I said no way was I getting in contact with him, they then asked if I could send out a lawyers letter to him, I said no, do you know how much it is for a lawyers letter? At which,because of their huffing and puffing and being awkward about it, I then promptly burst into tears in the bank!! A woman and her daughter came over to comfort me!
There goes another place I can't go into now! Honestly, I have no shame left at all anywhere!

OP posts:
skyeskyeskye · 04/06/2013 17:18

I hated having to deal with stuff with XH. I lost my old email account because it was in his name and they wouldnt talk to me about it. I asked him repeatedly, but he just ignored me and did nothing about it.... I had to ask him repeatedly to change his address on everything after six months, after a WTC investigation because they thought he was still living there! Its a bloody nightmare!

The bank should be able to be more helpful about it than that, they should be able to write to him if it was put into the wrong account. To suggest a solicitors letter is just wrong....

how kind of that woman and daughter to come over to you. some people can be so lovely.

dont worry about crying everywhere. I think I have cried in every shop and on every client in the past twelve months! Its a miracle that I still have work!

Lambzig · 04/06/2013 20:04

I hope the bank sorted it for you. They should be ashamed of being so unhelpful and unrealistic. Please don't take it to heart and you should not be embarrassed at all.

I think your grandaughter being born in September is ideal for you. It's soon enough to look forward to, but gives you three months to start your recovery and be the support to your daughter that she will need.

Your x is an idiot if he thinks buying presents will make it ok with your daughters. He is obviously in complete denial about what he has done to his relationship with them. No doubt he is deluding himself that he will have huge involvement when your grandaughter is born.

The financial abuse that your x and Skye's x are putting you both through is horrific, it seems so unfair. It gives me pause for thought. I have a good job, went back part time when DD was born and am considering not going back now DS is here. Your stories make me think that might not be sensible, no matter how good our relationship is now.

I like the suggestion of the shovel. Wasn't he saying you needed a new garage. You might need to dig a very big hole for the foundations and use a lot of concrete [evil witch emoticon].

MumnGran · 04/06/2013 20:20

Your stories make me think that might not be sensible, no matter how good our relationship is now.
Lambzig I think that would be terribly sad. Tales of woe need not come to fruition for you (there are some decent men out there Smile ) and I think it would be a real shame to miss the opportunity to be at home with your DC's if you have the chance.

I was at home with mine ..... trailed around the world as a "career wife", and you can't work when living in a country with only an 'accompanying spouse' visa.
I was out of the market place on close on 2 decades!!
And it still turned out OK ....maybe not as high flying as if I had stayed in the zone, but good enough .....and I would not have given up those precious years with my children for anything!!

PLEASE don't let our stories colour your life.

mrsmciver · 04/06/2013 22:54

Lambzig, honestly, I would never give your job up completely. Yes, you want to be home with your new son, but...

Could you reduce your hours? part time, job share? My daughters have now said no matter what happens to them they will never completely give up their jobs, no matter what. I was stupid, I trusted him too much.

Sorry, it will not be what you wanted to hear, but I do speak from experience and would never wish this on anyone else.

I am not having a good evening. Have been wailing a lot tonight, feel I am relapsing quite badly the last few days. The urge to phone and beg him to come home has been so strong but I won't do it. Could never trust a thing he says, he is a liar and I have to keep reminding myself of that. I can't turn off over thirty years though, I miss him.

OP posts:
skyeskyeskye · 04/06/2013 23:30

I gave up my part time job where I was earning £10 an hour which is good money for down here, and went self employed to work around DD's preschool hours. Less than 12 months later, XH cleared off. I was then struggling to work, self employed, so no holiday pay, no sick pay, no guaranteed holiday time off..... It made it difficult to get a mortgage as I had only been self employed for a year....

You can only make decisions based on your life at the time.... I think I would have probably made the same decision, I think my life would be more stressful if employed rather than self employed, but then again, I would have had set working hours and had my evenings and weekends back!

MrsM - have some hugs ((hug)). It is only normal to relapse, allow yourself to wallow for a short time, then pick yourself up and carry on. Whatever you do, do not beg him to come back. He will not be interested and you will only feel worse.

I know that you miss him, but that will fade with time, especially as you really come to see the "man" for who he has become.

skyeskyeskye · 04/06/2013 23:34

I can't remember if I posted these links before or not, but this website is good, as is the book. I have read the book and I keep reading it. There are lots of stories of women whose husbands just walked out randomly one day. It tells their anguish, their feelings and also their ways of dealing with things, of how they coped and of how they got through it.

www.runawayhusbands.com/

www.amazon.co.uk/Runaway-Husbands-Abandoned-Recovery-Renewal/dp/0986472107

mrsmciver · 05/06/2013 15:53

Will have a look at that website, thanks skye.

At the mo I have just started a book by Paul McKenna and it is called 'How to deal with your heartbreak'. I think. But it involves a lot of tapping on my fingers, collarbone, eyes. Have just started it so will let you all know how I get on with it. To be honest though I can't concentrate on books right now, and yet I used to be an avid reader.

And I can't watch things like 'mr and mrs' and stuff that involves couples either! Or like normal family programmes that I used to love like 'malcolm in the middle' or 'the middle'. Tis weird now. I have steppped into a parallel universe, where I have no partner, noone to love me like that or look out for me now. Can't even watch coupley things on tv anymore. Can't watch much right now saying that. I seem to have on the news a lot but couldn't tell you what was going on in the world? Something to do with our Queen and the coronation right now I think?

Honest to God ladies, if you knew what I was like before. I always knew what was going on in the world, or at least, tried to.

OP posts:
skyeskyeskye · 05/06/2013 16:20

I cry if somebody kisses in a film on tv... Sad....

That book is great and is written by a woman whose husband walked out one evening with no warning. She then got stories from other women and wrote a book. She wrote self help books anyway.

Xenia · 05/06/2013 16:21

The thread does illustrate the importance of women earningtheir own money and not giving up work and perhaps even earning 10x what their husband does. Encourage daughters to have good careers.

mrsmciver · 06/06/2013 09:16

I am feeling quite panicky this morning, scared, sick.

I cannot believe this is my life now. What happened to it?

So worried, what do I do? where do I go from here? Do not think I can manage like this. I hate this life, i hate waking up every morning like this. I want my old life back.

Please help, is there anyone there?

OP posts:
Xenia · 06/06/2013 09:37

If the marriage were not very happy then the next phase of your life could be the best ever.

skyeskyeskye · 06/06/2013 10:10

MrsM - I am here, working from home again today meant to be.

The waking up in the morning feeling is awful because everything hits you all over again, but it does get better.

Try thinking about that lovely granddaughter that you will have soon. Think about things you might want to keep at your house for her, toys, high chair, bits and pieces.

I want my old life back, but it is not going to happen. You have to go through the grieving process first though.

When have you next got counselling?

MumnGran · 06/06/2013 10:12

I second that Xenia ...... I am far happier now, then I was when I was married, although I "thought" I had it all.

Deep breath Mrs M Rollercoaster is just running this morning.
You are OK.
We know from you that your X is narcissistic, so I am certain that you also will emerge as a "different you" after some time being free to make your own decisions and choices without all the sub-conscious psychological moulding that exists in narc relationships.

When relationships die we all hanker after what was. After three decades of marriage it is on a totally different scale. A wise old owl of a friend told me that it takes a month for each year you were in the relationship, to really accept and be able to move forward. I think that's about right.
That doesn't mean that every day for three years you are going to feel as shaky as this morning ..... but it does say that the shaky is normal, and on the recovery scale you are still on the first rung.

You are doing OK.
Better this week, than last.
That's moving forward ....tiny step by tiny step.

Xenia · 06/06/2013 12:23

I think it also depends who wants the split. I initiated my divorce. I felt fine quickly about it as I was getting what I wanted. I was very conscious that he had had foisted on his a divorce after nearly 20 years and that for him it would be shocking and upsetting for years.

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 06/06/2013 12:37

If this all kicked off around Easter I think you are doing amazingly well in a relatively short space of time. I really do. Flowers

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 06/06/2013 12:42

PS Mump away on here the lovely MNers are a wise and supportive lot.

MumnGran · 06/06/2013 16:46

Oh I do love "mump"! What a great verb Smile

mrsmciver · 06/06/2013 16:52

Oh my god, think I need my meds upped as I was getting all panicky and terror stricken again this morning.

It is so awful, I have never had anything like the terror that i have had for the last few weeks, it gets overpowering, and to think he left his family. I wonder if he will ever regret it? Do you think there will be a time when he will think 'oh fuck, what have I done'? Because I can't see what he is gaining out of this. He is losing everything.

Mumn, I was married 27 years, will I feel like this for nearly 3 years?? Saying that, I feel I will never get over this. I do not think I will ever be intimate with a man again or marry again. How the hell do I get on with this life now? Sad I cannot understand how my marriage ended so quickly.

OP posts:
skyeskyeskye · 06/06/2013 17:11

MrsM - I too fail to see how my XH could be happy, living apart from his DD, with nothng to his name, but this is the life that he chose to live. It hurts, to see what a mess he is making, but its his mess and his choice.

You are still in the early days. I used to think that I would never get over it, at times I still do, but know now that I will.

I feel like you, I don't want to be intimate with anybody ever again, but then if I get a spark of interest from anybody, it does make me think that I might be able to one day. It wavers.

You, like me, have had a huge shock, in that you didn't see this coming. There was nothing you could do to stop it, because he didn't give you a chance to.

There is something wrong with a person that makes a decision all by himself, that actually affects a whole family. They are selfish, they are only concerned with themselves and their feelings and not how it will affect anybody else.

Everything you are going through is normal and wil get easier, I promise

mrsmciver · 06/06/2013 17:19

Thanks Skye, so glad you are here, sometimes I think I am turning into a loon!
I wish I could stop thinking about it and obsessing about it all. It is all going over and over in my head all the time! 'What if I had done this or if I had said that'. I feel guilty myself for putting him down to his mother's in the first place! But then I think 'well no bloody wonder!' . I only want bad things for him now, isn't that awful? i want him to suffer.
He made his daughters suffer, he put himself before them. He cannot be a good man to do that can he?

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