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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

Contacting the OW is a bad idea, right?

145 replies

IsabelleAdjani74 · 23/02/2016 09:02

DH and I have been through a couple of very rocky years and he had an affair which has been going on for a couple of months. The person he had an affair with was at school with him and they met up again about 6 months ago - her marriage was already in dire straits at the time and it was obvious to me from the outset that she was after him (I know he was stupid etc and it was his choice to have the affair) - but anyway we have decided we are going to try and make our marriage work and he has severed all ties with her.
I have never met her but at this point am dying to contact her - just basically to tell her to go and fuck herself and give her a load of abuse. Am SO angry and have never hated anyone as much as I hate her. I do have her contact details but much as I would feel vindicated and love having a go at her I think this would be an error - wouldn't it? I know keeping my dignity and not confronting her would is probably the best route to take but it is not nearly as fun as confronting her. Tell me this would be a mistake (or not!)

OP posts:
SwearySwearyQuiteContrary · 23/02/2016 10:13

You are utterly right to be raging and furious about this betrayal, but I think you need to at least consider that your feelings towards the OW are really symptomatic of the anger caused by your DH. You've decided to try to "get over" and "get through" this and I can understand completely that it's much easier to do this by subconsciously minimising his guilt. Expressing your rage at the person who truly deserves it and is the only party guilty of betraying you - your H - seems totally at odds with fixing your marriage. The only problem is that the emotion can't be suppressed and needs to go somewhere.

If your H is truly sorry about the affair and determined to do whatever it takes to save your relationship (as opposed to hoping it all goes away and you stop going on and making him feel bad) that means acknowledging your right to be utterly incandescent with rage, hurt and sadness because of his actions, not those of some predatory OW, and your right to express those feelings freely to him as you process this.

Don't get drawn into a slanging match with the OW.
Flowers

IsabelleAdjani74 · 23/02/2016 10:13

Everything all of you say makes sense. Her marriage is over, I don't know her or her husband - much as I would love to cause trouble and put her in a difficult position think I should just leave it. I think her marriage was done at the point she met DH and she manipulated him with a whole poor me my DH is abusing me etc storyline (which I don't believe) and then at the point she realised we were having our own issues she just capitalised on that. Obviously my DH is a twat for letting himself be manipulated. I could see what she was playing at from the outset (we have recently moved back to the area he grew up in and he met up with some mates from school, including her and think from that first meeting she started pursuing my DH) but my DH just laughed if off but proves my instinct was right all along. I think she was lining him up to replace her DH from the outset.
Also think I should leave well enough alone with the H as don't want to give her any excuse to contact my DH whining that I have outed her to her H - think she is vary good at playing the whole poor me, I'm an innocent little victim card - when she is in fact a manipulative conniving CUNT. And I have never been in a physical fight with anyone but if I ever do run into her I want to fucking punch her (saying it on her so I don't say it to her :))

OP posts:
Whathaveilost · 23/02/2016 10:14

My friend was in your shoes and she contacted the OW. IT WAS A BIG MISTAKE.
The OW laughed in her face, said some things about my friend's husband that hurt her ( stuff that he liked doing in bed to her) and slammed the door in her face. The OW husband found out about the affair and not only stood by his wife but went round causing trouble at my friend's house blaming her husband for 'screwing his wife'. The children and neighbours witnessed it. The OW and her husband make a big show of how together they are.
My friend feels humiliated and wishes she hadn't made contact.

IsabelleAdjani74 · 23/02/2016 10:16

Holly I agree there is a displacement and I do feel furious with my DH still and I know I have to deal with that anger. the problems in our marriage were there long before he had an affair - I dont think he would have done this if everything had been right between us and it hadnt for a long time. We have spent hours talking over the weekend and some very painful home truths have been said - on both sides - but they needed to be so we can move on. I do think anything I did with regards to the OW would be used to get back in touch with him.

OP posts:
MoominPie22 · 23/02/2016 10:19

Well personally speaking, I would most definately say something to the bitch. I wouldn´t be able to resist! I wouldn´t go in, all guns blazing, out of control and kicking off. I would actually think about what I wanted to say to her, not just rant and call her all the names under the sun. Cos then you really are behaving in an undignified way and giving her the satisfaction of seeing you like that.

But what on earth is undignified about confronting the woman your OH had an affair with?Confused It´s how you do it that counts. You don´t have to behave like a screaming banshee you know? I don´t think the OW is necessarily waiting to twist the knife at all, I reckon she´ll be bricking it in anticipation that you will make contact at some point. And you would be fully entitled to get this off your chest.

People who say stuff like ¨Well I wouldn´t give her the satisfaction of confronting her¨ or ¨ If I say nothing then I will be the bigger person in all this¨ are often just trying to talk themselves out of it and rationalize not having the balls to actually confront the OW at all!

It´s a very personal choice though but if this feeling towards her is just gonna sit festering in your gut like a burning ball of resentment then surely it´s best ( and cathartic too ) to speak to her. But if you do it in a calm and measured way, getting across everything you wanna say without losing your rag, I think that would psych her out more than yelling all manner of abuse at her. Then you would have the satisfaction of getting rid of this anger in a controlled and rational manner plus you´d maintain the moral high ground.

MInd you, I wouldn´t stay with my husband if he had an affair, so that too is a very personal choice.

IsabelleAdjani74 · 23/02/2016 10:21

Whathaveilost - I don't know this woman at all so have no idea how she would react but don't want to humiliate myself or hear anything that could hurt me more.
Sweary I have expressed my anger to my DH and he knows how angry and enraged I am - and I will continue to express it as and when I need to. I know feelings towards her are symptomatic of my rage towards my DH but she is someone who basically set out to break up my marriage, saw a chink and moved in for the kill so think it's normal to be angry with her too. I think the only way that we can fix our marriage is by being entirely honest with each other no matter how painful. If we don't, resentments will just fester under the surface and we won't be able to fix it.

OP posts:
janaus · 23/02/2016 10:23

I contacted the ex OW. Very polite. I asked some questions, which she did not want to answer. Finally got a few things out of her. Wished each other merry Xmas. I actually wanted to destroy her and my H. But held myself back. I thought I was being dignified. She then texted H and said I was a mad woman.

By crickey, I'm a mad woman, what did she expect.

stumblymonkey · 23/02/2016 10:23

It's your husband that betrayed you, not the OW.

I think you're projecting the anger you feel which is really at your DH onto the OW as being this angry at DH would make repairing the relationship difficult.

Stumbletrip40 · 23/02/2016 10:24

I know it sounds a bit lame but I do find burning off rage through exercising helps - also makes me feel a lot more positive about life in general. I just keep coming back to, the goal of talking to the OW would be to make her show remorse so that would make you feel better, and that's a very unlikely outcome, and unlikely to be sincere remorse even if it was shown.

IsabelleAdjani74 · 23/02/2016 10:24

Gaaaah Moomin now I just want to bloody well call her up! I always thought if my husband cheated I wouldn't stay either (and am not saying at this point we will stay together, I don't know). The idea of of calling her up and discussing her behaviour in a calm and rational manner is very appealing (agree that calling her up effing and blinding would not be good) and I would as you say get the resentment of my chest! Am even more torn now.

OP posts:
stumblymonkey · 23/02/2016 10:28

Hmmm....do you think you might be over-playing the OW's part in this and under-playing DH's?

At the moment the OW is painted as some evil woman who swooped in and manipulated your poor naive DH into an affair based on make believe abuse.

Really?

Razorlightnight · 23/02/2016 10:30

I found out at Christmas that my bf had been messaging a woman through twitter. That was their only form of contact. I've since stalked her online to within an inch of my life and I know her full name and work and home addresses. I've resisted contacting her so far but it still crosses my mind lots. I think what puts me of is if she did something like in Moominpie's example. I'd end up doing something I'd live to regret if she laughed at me. Her social media sites consist of her putting up 'sexy' pictures of herself and receiving compliments from weirdos. How embarrassing that my bf was one of those weirdos.

What sort of reaction would you be hoping for from her? Could you cope with the anger if she laughed/didn't care less? I can't see the woman in my scenario having many morals or giving a monkeys which would drive me insane.

Stumbletrip40 · 23/02/2016 10:33

or worse, she might just say 'it wouldn't have happened if he'd been happy' and then you'll feel like absolute cr*p because you already think that, if she's manipulative like you say, she'll likely hurt you more than you hurt her, that's been my experience of confronting socially astute mainpulators. Can you talk to your counsellor about this?

Jan45 · 23/02/2016 10:33

Never ceases to amaze me, the man cheats, lies, sneaks about having sex with another woman but yet it's the OW who is in the firing line - you are full of hate for this woman because you have chosen to lie down again with your OH - in other words, you need to take your anger out on someone right - can't be him so she's the obvious choice.

So, no, don't get in touch with her, leave well alone - if you can forgive and have sex with him again then I am sure you can forgive her for believing his crap.

Razorlightnight · 23/02/2016 10:33

Perhaps we should all contact each other's OW.

How depressing that so many of us are in this situation.

IsabelleAdjani74 · 23/02/2016 10:35

NO DH made the choice to do it, he didn't have to let himself be manipulated and did it of his own free will. I don't know what sort of reaction I would be hoping for - just wanted to tell her that she has lost, I've won, and he's staying with me.
And Razorlight I would hate that - can imagine what the woman your bf was messaging was like and it would drive me insane to think my bf was one of those weirdos.

OP posts:
Whathaveilost · 23/02/2016 10:36

The trouble is you don't know how she is going to react.
You may have a game plan, being all nice and polite. You may think that is civilised etc. That doesn't mean to say she is going to play it your way.

My friend, mentioned below, is the most calm and collected person I know. However the Ow threatened to call the police. She text friends DH who she had the affair with to say she had come so close to filing a report on friend for 'harassing' her and embarrassing her in her street! Nothing was further from the truth. I was sat in a car 3 doors away so saw everything that had gone on. My friend felt worse immediately after the confrontation and was in shock with the way the OW had portrayed it.

IsabelleAdjani74 · 23/02/2016 10:36

I know it wouldn't have happened if things in our marriage had not been wrong in the first place. And yes very depressing so many of us go through this.

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Keeptrudging · 23/02/2016 10:36

Absolutely. It's coming across like you're feeling sorry for your poor husband who was manipulated into having sex with this woman. How?

MoominPie22 · 23/02/2016 10:37

Is there another way to do it rather than ring her? I´m just thinking she may well hang up on you....which would further piss me off anyway! Hmm esp if I was trying to remain calm.

Maybe sit on it, there´s no time pressure is there? Plus that´ll lull her into a false sense of security Smile Could you speak to her in person? Maybe you wouldn´t get the same sense of satisfaction writing her a letter cos then you don´t know if she actually read it, plus it´d be nice to hear what she has to say. You never know, she may even be remorseful and apologise! Stranger things have happened......

If you remain calm then she will be more likely to remain calm and not be defensive or aggressive too. PLus she´ll be more likely to hear you out if you reign your anger in and keep your cool.

I´m a big believer in getting the negative energy out. This woman has done you wrong, why shouldn´t she hear how her and your husband´s behaviour has effected you and your views on it? Totally reasonable imo. Also, don´t keep emotions festering away, you´ll only get an ulcer! Wink Or it´ll manifest physically in some other way.

Keeptrudging · 23/02/2016 10:38

You've not 'won' though. You've lost the security and trust you thought you had in your marriage. That's nigh on impossible to get back. He's no prize.

IsabelleAdjani74 · 23/02/2016 10:38

I don't feel sorry for him, think he has been a cunt of the highest order. But as someone has pointed out upthread, the only role she has had in my life is hurting me and trying to break up my marriage.
And could totally go in the way whatIhavelost describes.

OP posts:
Whathaveilost · 23/02/2016 10:39

OP that's what my friend wanted, to say that DH was staying with her. OW Laughed and said something like sure honey, until he wants another pair of tits to suck on! My friend was MORTIFIED!

IsabelleAdjani74 · 23/02/2016 10:41

And keeptrudging yes, I agree he is no prize and have been torn (and still am) between giving it another go and telling him to go and fuck himself.
Agree with moomin about not keeping emotions festering. Dont see any other way apart from ringing or emailing her - don't think we are ever likely to meet in person.

OP posts:
Whathaveilost · 23/02/2016 10:42

All my story is recent btw, this is last November. I've told my friend that I've shared her story and she says tell OP don't do it, it's just not worth the humilation!

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