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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: moving forwards in the right direction

999 replies

tomatoplantproject · 19/05/2015 07:16

Previous thread here

Story so far:
Dh had a 7 month affair which I discovered 1 month ago just after he ended it.
We had been having problems in our marriage since the start of the affair which I took the blame for Hmm
He has moved out, my toddler dd and I are in the family home.
We had started having couples counselling before I discovered the affair which we are now using to deal with the aftermath
So far he wants reconciliation but doesn't seem to be going about it the right way. I am in 2 minds and hope the right course of action emerges over the next few weeks dependant on his behaviour/way he speaks about me.
Unfortunately the counselling tonight, when I had planned to spill out all of my feelings, has been cancelled. We are still meeting though.
With the support of my amazing parents, a handful of close friends, my adorable dd and of course the wonderful wise ladies of mumsnet I am ok.

OP posts:
Christinayanglah · 28/05/2015 07:51

How long is the journey?

tomatoplantproject · 28/05/2015 08:15

DrM - yes all of those things have crossed my mind, except for the missed opportunity for him to actually take the moral high ground.

Anyway - I'm not going to dwell on it now because I think it's starting to get unhealthy for me. I need to start looking forward positively for a few days rather than ruminating.

Christina - the train is 2 hours. The last bit is a bit tricky - tube and bus or just bus (or taxi if they will take dd). Despite packing lightly and leaving some stuff I will have 3 bags and a toddler!!

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MaMaof04 · 28/05/2015 10:04

Hi Tom; I fully agree with Chris.
Have a break and enjoy your day.
Collapse as much as you want on MN but remember:
we do not know him and we do not know you.
All MN correspondence - privately on PMs or publicly on posts here - might be relevant only to our specific cheating connard of husbands.
I found that after the first weeks post DD the best for me was:
1- to be off MN for a long period. Even now when I come and ramble on it it puts me a bit off the recovery rails.
2- to write in my mind a succinct and as objective as possible narrative of what happened at the affair time what I was going through versus his fucking sordid story.
3- to return to the narrative whenever my thinking about the affair start swirling out of control.
3- to stop trying to understand him (even if I try to understand the phenomenon of cheating as an anthropological phenomenon) . For me he was mad and it is his problem. Of course if there is a danger of it repeating itself then the underlying issue must be addressed. And we betrayed MN women can't help you defining and curing the issues because we tend to look at them through the prism of our own narrative and philosophy of life. This the work of a therapist/counselor/psychologist.
4- and of course to rediscover the little gifts life offers us on abundance - a leaf trembling in the wind, a drop of water shining in the sun, some yoga music etc and of course my friends, relatives and dear kids and even random people (their smiles- tears- even tiredness- hugs etc) . And you know what do this better than any of us. Here lies your strength.

I hope you will soon start some counseling because when you will know that there is a defined time to process the affair your thoughts will be more at rest.

Have some peace of mind Tom and enjoy your day out! (Kids adore train trips!) Flowers Flowers Flowers

tomatoplantproject · 28/05/2015 18:01

We are back home, dd has spent the afternoon at nursery, my nails are looking beautiful.

I've got some more nice things planned for the next few days.

I'm feeling so much better already by not talking or thinking about what has happened. There have been so many people recently saying different things and offering different viewpoints that I'm finding it quite hard to find my own voice

I'm planning on staying off mumsnet for a few days, much as I love you all, because I think that might help me just "be" too.

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Nevergrowingup · 28/05/2015 18:48

Good to hear you are settled back home. Even better to hear that you are taking time out. Its very refreshing to be selfish for a while. Even if its longer than a while. Take care taking time out. Smile

Lacoba66 · 28/05/2015 19:58

Staying away from MN for a little while is a good idea Tom ( I know we are all great Wink but you must need some "normal" time away.

Adrenalin is a natural substance, but those of us that have been there, understand that when that wears off a little, it's best to go and recharge.

I'm pleased to hear you have nice things planned for you and that your DD (like most little uns) just go with the flow when they have a parent who adores and loves them to bits- she is safe with you and your families love Smile. X (must stop the x's as in MN)

tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 14:51

Bugger. I said I wouldn't come on to mumsnet but he's just called me (no idea what to call him any longer).

He's realised what he's lost, he'll do anything to make it better, he wants to start spending time with me before we drift apart any longer, he realises how much of a power imbalance in the relationship there was and he knows he will need to spend the rest of his life working on himself.

He also said that he always comes out fighting when he's on the defensive and apologised for that anger.

He wants to spend more time talking before we drift apart any longer. He's been remembering what an amazing time we used to have together and doesn't want to lose me.

I basically said that we needed to spend time apart so that emotions would cool off, and that he may realise exactly what was at stake and give him the wake up he needed to do the work that was necessary. I said I'd been in a really bad place for months while the affair was going on, and that I was only just starting to find myself again and my sense of humour and zest for life. That I was in no rush because we need to build organically when we are both in a better place. And that I came away the other week certain that he was still seeing her and thought she had been down for the week. I said I asked to see his phone for a reason and that the trust will take a really really long time to repair.

I also said that finding out about the affair had given me the direction I needed to start putting myself first and enjoying life again, and I don't ever want to live my life being so low again.

He listened, and properly listened, to everything I had to say. And for the first time in a long time he was just him - none of the bravado.

Just as I am in the middle of not thinking about it.

OP posts:
Wordsaremything · 29/05/2015 15:02

Hello Tom

Any chance he might have read the thread? What was his response to your comment about thinking he is still seeing her, and his refusal to let you see his phone? The only other thing that occurs is that he was still seeing her, and now, suddenly he's not.

You are being amazing!

tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 15:10

Hiya. I don't think he's read the thread. I think he's read the book I gave him. He looked utterly broken at the weekend when I collected dd.

He's stopped being defensive which may (only a "may", mind) be where the phone thing has come from. I'm not sure. He offered for me to talk to people he was out with last week to check if she was with him or not.

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BathtimeFunkster · 29/05/2015 15:12

I wonder did she dump him?

She'd be gone back by now, right?

Interesting timing.

Most men get to where he is now in a matter of days.

What did he say about the fact that he was still lying to you and refusing to show you his phone only last week?

tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 15:12

I'm not being amazing. I keep going shopping. And I walked in to a tattoo parlour earlier and booked my tattoo for next Friday. That felt really rebellious!

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tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 15:15

He said he was really really sorry and I could see his phone now if I wanted. I said that last week was the only opportunity he had for me to see his phone without him cleaning it up. He couldn't answer that one.

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tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 15:16

He's been trying to reach out for a few days and I've been rebuffing him.

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BathtimeFunkster · 29/05/2015 15:26

How do you feel about what he just said?

It's taken him an awfully long time to come to some pretty basic conclusions.

And the anger thing is just weird and makes him sound like there is something fundamentally wrong with him.

Who gets angry with their wife for weeks on end when they have treated her like shit and she's just found out?

hellsbellsmelons · 29/05/2015 15:30

Good grief.
You must be all over the place.
I really don't know what to say.
Just take your time and do what is best for you and DD and understand what you can forgive.
I tried but just couldn't do it.
I really believe that trying to fix things is the hardest path by far.
It takes a lot of work and drains you emotionally.
But many have found it turns out better in the end, others just can't do it.
This is YOUR journey. It's gonna be tough no matter what path you choose.
Keep strong and take your time!

tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 15:31

Relieved. I'm thinking "at long last".

The thing is, it used to be amazing between us, and then I got pregnant and life became really hard and he just became more self centred rather than less. It sounds like he has finally clicked.

The anger thing. Yes. I think he's been in denial for ages about how awful he has been, he's been minimising a massive amount. And the defensiveness has been part of that.

I told him he had to get his head around the reality of me not being there to have the kick up the arse to do the hard work. He told me I was a wise woman. It's like he's suddenly realised I'm not his cook, nanny and maid.

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tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 15:35

I am totally all over the place. I've made a commitment to myself that I won't even consider taking him back until we've had at least 2 months apart actively working on making things better, and that because it has been so long in coming and the spinning he was continuing to do probably longer.

Tomorrow at midnight marks week 6 of me finding out. Not that I'm counting.

OP posts:
FantasticButtocks · 29/05/2015 15:37

How about the not being able to guarantee it wouldn't happen again? Did you bring that up?

BathtimeFunkster · 29/05/2015 15:41

Relieved, interesting.

So after weeks of completely unjustified anger, and frankly some of the worst post-affair behaviour I've ever heard of, now he's behaving in a way that is really the very least you should have been able to expect.

And you are relieved.

He's good, I'll give him that.

I'm starting to see how this ridiculous "come out fighting when I'm on the defensive" thing works for him.

Even though he's in the wrong, he lashes out at his victim so that they are relieved when he stops.

Pretty good way to get what you want.

And an effective way to get a smart, confident, funny woman and reduce her to the woman who washes your dirty affair pants.

tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 15:41

No. We are due counselling and I will do then.

He had already said that he will have to work hard for the rest of his life at making sure he doesn't, and that will mean working hard at us too because he wasn't doing that at all before. Totally unprompted.

The phone thing has been bugging me more for some reason. I think because I knew it was my one opportunity to see if she was still on the scene.

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BathtimeFunkster · 29/05/2015 15:45

He had already said that he will have to work hard for the rest of his life at making sure he doesn't

Have another affair? Confused

His timing is so perfect too.

Are you certain he hasn't been reading this thread?

tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 15:45

I've been so angry for so long though bathtime. For the moment it has gone.

It's the first time he has said anything which comes close to what I need him to say.

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tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 15:47

Timing perfect - why?

Pretty sure he hasn't.

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BathtimeFunkster · 29/05/2015 15:57

Because your recent postings have been all about regret and how much you miss what you had.

I would have said it was the most likely to take him back you've seemed since D-Day.

He was so horrible for so long that he basically wore you down and left you confused and desperate and sad.

And now he rocks up saying all the really obvious things that most repentant cheats say straight away.

tomatoplantproject · 29/05/2015 16:02

I'm in a space where I'll listen. But no take him back just because he clicks his fingers.

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