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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

ive been up all night.

122 replies

vicarinatutu · 03/07/2015 05:29

ive just let the love of my life walk away. ive deleted the numbers and the messenger services. it was reciprocal. he wasnt going to commit and is in a relationship already.
i left mine when i realised i had feelings for him. i walked away from a relationship of 27 years. like a complete idiot

this is hard. my eyes are like piss holes in the snow. i wouldnt let him end it by text and said he had to call or visit, then deleted everything on the phone.
but now i know whats about to happen.

i feel very alone and have during the entire non relationship if im honest - he was never mine to miss.

so why do i miss him already?

my life is in tatters. im lonely. im alone. i have been for 6 months. i thought things would change but he is by his own admission a coward and nothing ever changed despite promises.
i realise now nothing ever will.
i have to walk away and move on.
i left my home. my dh. my grown up children. my pets.
for nothing. dh has moved on and has a gf. a real relationship while i was pissing about with cloak and dagger bloke who was never gonna commit. its fine - bed made....lying in it and all that.
but right now - id gladly lay down and die. i destroyed my lifes work of 27 years in 6 weeks. 6 months later im in the same boat. i have nothing but debt debt and more debt. i have no prospect of a relationship - ive had plenty of predatory men try it.....ive had at least 2 encounters that were sheer desperation and that i hated myself for.
my self respect is below sea level and my judgement is questionable.
im fucked.
im about to get dumped by someone who never deserved me in the first place....and who i just dont want to get dumped by. but its going to happen or im going to do it for them.
ive waited long enough.
im not gong to meet anyone else am i. im going to grow old and die alone and i cant even have a cat cos i rent now.

OP posts:
nequidnimis · 03/07/2015 12:49

sliceofsoup - I don't mean to be patronising, honestly.

But the fact is that I couldn't ignore the first few posts on this thread without saying 'hang on, does she deserve all this sympathy, isn't anyone going to give it to her straight, or at least temper the empathy with just a tiny bit of censure?'

I can't help thinking that a less known poster, or a man, would have received different responses.

In my head OP is the OW currently trying to persuade my friend's husband to leave her. I've already admitted I'm projecting. My friend is beyond devastated. The thought that the woman complicit in causing her pain might post here for sympathy and hugs, and receive them because hey we all make mistakes, sticks in my craw.

But as I've said, I can see I'm in the minority and that people want this to be a safe and supportive place for OP.

HayDayRookie · 03/07/2015 12:57

You make a fair point nquid

littlesongbird · 03/07/2015 13:00

Entirely agree with wannabe's post.

I ended an abusive relationship (it was all but over anyway) for a man who then didn't leave his wife. I believed he loved me, and would do anything for me. His friends said they'd never seen him as happy as when he was with me. But ultimately he was a coward. He meant pretty much everything to me. Had I not had DC, and been so scared of death, I might well have ended my life. I literally felt when it ended (basically with him just dropping contact - after a previous period of going completely AWOL from both me and his family for 2 weeks when I was distraught and worried he'd died) that I had nothing to live for.

It took me over 5 years to stop feeling like that. I am now finally in a relatively happy place, with a man who truly cherishes and values me, and is free to be in a relationship with me. But it took a very long time to get here and a lot of years of thinking I should have stuck it out, tried to contact him, not changed my number, not moved etc.

vicarinatutu · 03/07/2015 13:04

I don't deserve sympathy. I know that. this.is.just a space.i can vent.
he rang. it's over. I've had a very minimal amount of sleep but u do have to go to work so I'm going to try and have a bit more now.
the unfortunate thing is I work with him but I will have to manage this.

I made his tell me honestly what his feelings were.
he cares
but he isn't in love with me.

I knew that. I was ignoring it. but last night something happened that made me realise I had no one to turn to for a shred of comfort and I realised that it had to come to a head, one way or another.

I'm devestated. I've cried and cried and cried. I can't breathe through my snotty blocked nose.

time to go back to bed before work.

I fucked up my life.

OP posts:
PoundingTheStreets · 03/07/2015 13:17

You made some bad decisions and behaved foolishly. Yes, you're now feeling the consequences, but you haven't fucked up your life. You'll probably feel like shit for a while, but it will pass. Think about what you deal with professional on a daily basis and you'll realise that you can come back from this.

You still have a job you love and worked hard for. Over time, you'll be able to get on top of those debts and start living again.

You sill have your children. I don't know how much fall out there's been over leaving your X (been off MN for a while), but adult children tend to come round and I'm sure you'll repair things eventually.

You can take refuge on here and rebuild some friendships in the real world. Indulge some activities that make you feel good.

You can rebuild.

I don't want to cause offence, but knowing what you've said about your childhood, your brother and now this, I wonder if it's all linked and maybe you'd benefit from some counselling. If just to get it all off your chest.

In the meantime, hope you get some sleep. Flowers

ExitPursuedByABear · 03/07/2015 13:25

Sorry to read this vicar

Hope you find a way through it.

And get back on the horse!

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 03/07/2015 13:41

I actually agree in the main with nquid. While I believe everyone deserves empathy in their time of need, there is no excuse for an affair with a married man. I've seen so many friends devastated beyond belief by this. They're the ones who deserve sympathy.
I'm glad you are getting support vicar as everyone needs support in their lives. However nquid is right.

sliceofsoup · 03/07/2015 13:41

Telling someone to simmer down is very rude. I accept that you are projecting, but I disagree with your view and I stated so. There may be other people reading, who aren't posting, who feel the same as you, so I wanted to put my point across. To tell me to simmer down is actually incredibly offensive.

nequidnimis · 03/07/2015 14:00

Blimey sliceofsoup, it's not all about you, you know.

FWIW I thought your post was rather rude - 'ffs', 'couldn't give a shit' etc, and thought simmer down was entirely appropriate.

Let's not derail the thread. Things have moved on and you've already told me off twice now.

sliceofsoup · 03/07/2015 14:03

Shock Shock

NickiFury · 03/07/2015 14:21

Hmm Telling someone to "Simmer down" is not "incredibly offensive" at all, it's a bit dismissive and annoying but hardly a major incident.

I agree that the OP would have got a very different response if unknown but that's just how these things are. She's among friends here obviously and I am not sure a bit of sympathy is a bad thing even with that in mind, if only it would spread to other far less supportive spaces on the board.....

I hope you feel better OP. When things are about as crap as they can be it has always helped me to think of it as this being the first step out and I have to just keep on walking and leave it behind. One thing I would say is don't let him mess you about. Even from what just written here I can see it might be very easy for him to back track to and fro, keeping you just hanging on. This has to be the clean break now. It's the only way.

NeedsMoreCowBell · 03/07/2015 14:39

Vicar
I've seen you give amazing support over the years on MN.
Amazing, compassionate, intelligent support.
I really hope you find some here for yourself now.
I'm sorry you're so sad, take care.

Sickoffrozen · 03/07/2015 14:44

My gran once said to me "There is nothing as stupid as a woman in love"

She was right. We tend to make really poor decisions, often on the back of the love we have for people. We fall for men's bullshit way too easily.

I am sympathetic to the OP because everyone makes mistakes and does crazy things. The human world is a complicated one and the OP is clearly suffering. That said I agree that newer posters and certainly men would not get this level of sympathy.

op- whatever age you are, your life is not over. You must have been unhappy with the 27 yr relationship you have given up so maybe this is the catalyst for a new you and a new start. Happiness is not totally dependent on being in a relationship. Some of the happiest people I know are single and some of the unhappiest in a relationship. You can find happiness in other ways...

NeedsMoreCowBell · 03/07/2015 14:45

And I completely agree with Jakadaal
When someone is in pain, my instinct is to comfort them.
The whys can come after.

Paddlingduck · 03/07/2015 14:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IcecreamHavoc · 03/07/2015 14:59

I have no idea of your story but wanted to say I am sorry you are hurting. You haven't killed anyone, you just loved someone married to someone else,nhow anyone can fail to feel sorry a fellow human being is hurting is beyond me.

PeppermintPasty · 03/07/2015 15:11

I don't agree that vicar is being given a certain reception because we might know of her. Or rather, perhaps I should say that in my case, I come firstly from the points of sympathy and empathy, and these would be shown by me to anyone who had posted the op.

It's only the really vile, unaware, sociopathic-sounding 'OW' who ever get a total pasting from me. This OP shows that the poster knows what she's done is bloody awful, basically. I don't really read it as her seeking undue sympathy. The 'knowledge' of her is a red herring probably, though I freely admit that I mentioned it before!

Newrule · 03/07/2015 15:14

Sorry to hear that you are going through this tough time. However, let that be a lesson to other women who helps destroy another woman's marriage. Think about his wife and the times she felt like her head was exploding with emotional distress.

mrssnodge · 03/07/2015 15:26

This man wasn't the love of your life - he was the catelist that made you see the changes you had to make. Of course it's hard when you leave one relationship thinking that better things await and then you realise that actually things aren't all as they seemed. but that doesn't make the walking away any less valid.

The thing you have now is freedom. The freedom to be who you want, to do what you want, to go where you want. what is it you want from life? in one, five ten years time, where do you want to be? Think about that and make today the first day of the start of that journey.
^^^^^^^^

this from Wannabe is total sense!

14 yrs ago you were me, though I took my 3 Dc with me and mm did leave his wife( then went back) twice in fact- seen the light after 4 months of being pissed about by him, simply told him to F off! He went straight back to her of course!!
I was heartbroken, guilty etc, but never regretted leaving my unhappy marriage. Guess he was just an excuse to get out though I couldnt see it at the time.
Now Ive been with Dp 8 yrs and Im as happy as can be! Even see the MM and his wife sometimes & she is friendly with me??? I wish I had never hurt EXH,but dont regret leaving him- but it wil work out Ok in the end OP- take care .

hesterton · 03/07/2015 15:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Kleptronic · 03/07/2015 15:42

I was left for an OW and I'm not going to flame either.

Take care of yourself, Vicar. Eat something. Try to sleep when you can. Take it a day at a time. You can get through this.

SunsetsAndStarlings · 03/07/2015 18:20

I just want to add my support for Vicar too. I know it must seem impossible to believe right now, but things WILL get better. Don't write off your future...you can have a wonderful life! This man does not get to decide how your life turns out. YOU decide.

trackrBird · 03/07/2015 20:20

Vicar
Flowers
...you never seemed that happy with your marriage, although you said it worked for you.
I'm trying to say that even though you feel in a bad place today, it wasn't just about leaving what you had, for the new man. Maybe a change was coming anyway, sooner or later.

Every day won't be like today.

MrsTerryPratchett · 03/07/2015 20:30

At some point you will look back and thank this man. He was the catalyst to leave a relationship that while long-term and comfortable, wasn't making you happy. This man is not right for you, he's just a reason to leave.

When you are in a happy, healthy relationship with yourself, another person or a cat, it will all seem worth it.

For now, hunker down, take care of yourself (no more sleeping pills mixed with wine) and wait. Time heals.

Flowers
gingerchick · 03/07/2015 20:43

vicar you won't know me but I recognise your name as have been on mn a long time, I just wanted to say you will be ok, you won't believe me now but the pain will fade and you will feel happiness again, I'm so sorry that this has happened, take care of yourself xx

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