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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

H has been using massage parlour

130 replies

Happymassage · 27/07/2016 18:30

Just that really. I am 35 weeks pregnant and upset is an understatement. I am a long time lurker and last week I checked his email and saw that he had messaged people on craigslist for massage services. I confronted him, he denied, saying 'you know I was researching that'. I called him on his bullshit (he did - a year ago), and then he said that he was looking into getting a massage with a handjob but did not go through with it. I told him I did not believe him, went mad at him (all via text unfortunately, as he was in no position to talk). He went to a work's drink thing that night, came back, would not speak about it, and I slept on the couch, getting only a few hours sleep. Next morning he said he would talk and admitted to visiting a place three times and getting a handjob at the end of it. I went mad on him, he seemed a bit remorseful, said sorry, but said he was stressed and it was just for stress release, that he did not see it as a sexual thing. Which I know is bullshit.

Thing is, I have been trying to engage with him sexually for months. He repeatedly turns me down, saying he is tired or that he feels uncomfortable because I am pregnant with his baby. So I feel really devastated, heavily pregnant, unattractive and rejected right now.

I have pointed out the STI risks, the moral/legal risks - this to me is a BIG deal paying for a service, using family money for an exploitation-based trade. He is evasive, and does not like to talk about it. He is away for the week unfortunately, so I am very limited in the contact, so I am left with my thoughts about how to deal with this bombshell.

It's not like we are a sexually prudish couple. Before pregnancy we actively involved others sexually. To me, it is lying and deception that is the issue. We used a site together which I then discovered he was using to contact others for his own needs (webcamming). I have caught him before on various dating/affair sites, where he has swore that he has never met with anyone and he uses them for webcamming (which is something which I said was ok, albeit reluctantly). I went mad about the sites and he said he would not do that again. All sites were deleted. Now he has gone that bit further in the lying and deception.

He is a very good husband in other ways, a great stepdad, very well house trained, caring. He has a high stress job too and several hobbies so he is very busy a lot of the time. He has been drinking a lot (at home) for the past few years. We have been through a heck of a lot together - some incredibly stressful family stuff that would break most people. We have both made sacrifices. As I said, it is a good marriage, apart from these lies. He thinks it is not cheating and has said he has never cheated on me. Every time I discover something else, I feel upset, then deflated. Perhaps because I am so heavily pregnant, this time I am at the end of it. If he cannot change, properly change, I can't see a way forward. That thought is scary as hell in my current vulnerable situation.

I have booked a relate session for us for next week. It all feels so cliched and seedy.

OP posts:
MilesHuntsWig · 27/07/2016 20:15

What rumred said. You're 35 weeks pregnant yet he has time for a job and several hobbies.... And the time to cheat on you at a massage parlour.

He should pack in ALL extra curricular activities and invest time in supporting you and repairing his marriage.

He is not a good DH.

MammouthTask · 27/07/2016 20:16

That's because you had boundaries but no consequences if he is crossing them.
And you have 'allowed' him to cross said boundaries before and nothing happened (eg not talking about the webcam is lying by omission at least).

That's why you need both boundaries AND a consequence for crossing them. Otherwise, they become meaningless iyswim

Happymassage · 27/07/2016 20:20

Well I have told him now that if he does not change that the marriage will have to end. I am at the very end now. That's it.

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AskBasil · 27/07/2016 20:23

"He is a very busy person and is morally sound in every way but this. That's why it is so hard to come to terms with. I don't believe he is abusive, just being selfish and thoughtless and thinking of his own needs and trying to protect himself, "

You know, without wishing to project, he sounds just like my ex.

I too, told myself he was morally sound, ethical, kind etc.

All the stuff that didn't make up for the fact that he was incapable of emotional intimacy.

Denial is a necessary self-defence mechanism, until you are ready to face up to the true awfulness of your predicament; that you're having a child with someone who is emotionally disconnected from you and will remain so.

He could have the looks of George Cloony, the intelligence of Chomsky, the charm of Graham Norton and the sexual prowess of the best lover I ever had; but none of that makes up for the inability to provide the emotional sustenance that all of us seek in our intimate relationships. Or for the fact that he really doesn't respect you, becuase if he did he wouldn't have lied to you so ruthlessly.

Do you feel lonely in your relationship?

P1nkP0ppy · 27/07/2016 20:23

We had a it of a break of a month in our relationship and we decided to get back together. Everything else feels really right with him. We decided together that we would explore other sexual avenues - to me (and he has always known this) it was under the proviso that it always involved both of us and transparency was paramount. That is not the issue here - it is that he has decided to lie and not be transparent any more

He's taken the opportunity to the max op, regardless of your desire for 'transparency'. He's not interested in you sexually (and hasn't been for months) so I can't imagine that the situation is salvageable at all.
He's so far over the 'boundaries' it's meaningless.

wherearemymarbles · 27/07/2016 20:23

I dont think anyone is saying an open relationship is the issue. Its that your husband seems to think it gives him carte blanc....

And your issue is if you can get him to realise this is not acceptable.

Both now and in the future when the thought of poking your eyes out os more appealing than sex.

AskBasil · 27/07/2016 20:27

"Everything else feels really right with him."

Of course it does. That's why you're with him. No-one's so stupid that they accept this shit, without having arguments to justify it to themselves.

Remember the car? Everything else is fab. Engine quiet, steering wheel so easy to use, luxury interior, unobtrusive air con that works immediately you put the key in the engine, luxury seats... when you sit in it, it feels like a great car. Just... no wheels.

Christinayangstwistedsista · 27/07/2016 20:28

Why did you have a break?

inlectorecumbit · 27/07/2016 20:31

I somehow get the feeling that your H will not stop with this seedy behaviour, especially as you will have a baby thrown into the mix. His "needs" will not be getting met in his opinion and he will continue to search for this elsewhere-however he will just be better at hiding it from you.

Good luck with your baby--ditch the H

Amelie10 · 27/07/2016 20:33

Op to me it reads so clearly that you want to be with him more than he wants to be with you Sad

You also seem to think in spite of this he is a good husband. You have completely missed the point as no good husband would be doing something like this. You are trying to separate the two but what you don't realise is that he is this type of person. If he could do it to you while pregnant with his child, there isn't any lower he could sink is there?
I think your relationship isn't one, and you are just hopeful that you could work it out.

coconutpie · 27/07/2016 21:07

So you're 35 weeks pregnant, and your husband is off cheating on you and paying a prostitute to give him a handjob? And you think you have a great marriage in every other way? Sounds like your "marriage" is dead in the water. You do realise you're just making excuses for him by saying he hates confrontation? So you're just supposed to sit back and let him visit all these prostitutes and give him a pat on the back? LTB.

StartledByHisFurryShorts · 27/07/2016 21:14

If you have an open relationship then honesty and openness are absolutely essential. He doesn't respect that. He doesn't respect you. He has been seeing sex workers and lying about it. He isn't even sorry.

I really feel for you. You're weeks away from giving birth. You don't need this shit.

Can you at least get him to move out of the bedroom? Really doesn't seem right that you should be sleeping on the sofa at 35 weeks pregnant.

Happymassage · 27/07/2016 21:31

It was about six years ago that we had a break. He is younger than me and without getting into it too much, the pressures of my family life got too much for him I think. He has made life-changing major sacrifices (again, can't say much) for this relationship, so I know he is invested. He wanted to get married, he wanted this child.

OP posts:
Happymassage · 27/07/2016 21:32

To clarify, it was just that night I slept on the sofa. He has not been home all week.

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SandyY2K · 27/07/2016 21:47

I confronted him, he denied

he said that he was looking into getting a massage with a handjob but did not go through with it.

Next morning he said he would talk and admitted to visiting a place three times and getting a handjob at the end of it.

You finally got the truth... possibly.

he did not see it as a sexual thing. Which I know is bullshit.

So why did he hide and deny if that's what he really thought? You weren't happy with the webcammimg and he took it up a gear.

Thing is, I have been trying to engage with him sexually for months. He repeatedly turns me down, saying he is tired or that he feels uncomfortable because I am pregnant with his baby.

So was everything okay sexually before you fell pregnant? Some men do have a fear of hurting their unborn child during pregnancy, but it's not an excuse to cheat.

I feel really devastated, heavily pregnant, unattractive and rejected right now.

Totally understandable. Try and stay calm for the babies sake though. You really don't need this in your current condition.

I then discovered he was using to contact others for his own needs (webcamming).

I have caught him before on various dating/affair sites , where he has swore that he has never met with anyone and he uses them for webcamming

which is something which I said was ok, albeit reluctantly.

You're lowering your standards to fit in with his sexual desires here.

I went mad about the sites and he said he would not do that again.

Now he has gone that bit further in the lying and deception.

A lot further indeed unfortunately. I suspect there's more you don't know about.

He thinks it is not cheating and has said he has never cheated on me.

Translates to he hasn't had sexual intercourse with anyone... if he's to be believed. Which is hard when he's lied so much. With this mindset, he's going to do it again.

If he cannot change, properly change, I can't see a way forward.

Do you think he might be a sex addict? He seems to be addicted to this stuff and he pushes it further every time.

Has he cheated in previous relationships?

Do you know how his previous relationships ended?

AskBasil · 27/07/2016 21:59

"He wanted to get married, he wanted this child."

Yes of course he did. It gives him status to be a married man and a father.

Women do men an enormous favour by marrying them, all the research shows that married men and fathers earn more and are taken more seriously than unmarried and childless men (even when you weight the data for age, education level etc.)

Marrying you, having a child with you, is a huge investment in his future, in his status in society as a man.

But he isn't emotionally investing, is he? And that's where it counts. The wheels.

AskBasil · 27/07/2016 22:08

Sorry, I know I'm banging on and that I might be wrong about this.

But I suspect that you are in deep denial and no-one in RL is going to tell you this. You don't need more people to help you cling to denial - there are never any shortage of them - but I think you do need someone who will give you "permission" to examine your real feelings about this.

I know I may be projecting, but I know what it's like to be in a relationship feeling like shit because the guy seems nice, kind, compatible, decent and yet there's a fucking great enormous hollow at the centre of our relationship, which I don't even recognise as a hollow.

And also I know you may not be ready to face up to this. It's so frightening to be pregnant and recognise that the man you thought was your partner, your comrade in arms throughout life, is actually a stranger, someone who has hidden himself from you for years.

I really hope you manage to work it out and that I'm wrong about this.

Happymassage · 27/07/2016 22:31

I want it to work out, I truly do. There is so much that is good with this relationship. He has been a massive support for me through some hideous times. That is why it is difficult to reconcile that side of him with the lying side. Our sex life before the pregnancy was fine. He said it is just the fact he feels uncomfortable knowing I have his child inside him and I should respect that. To me, sex is very important for intimacy, so I find that very difficult to come to terms with.

OP posts:
NorksAreMessy · 27/07/2016 22:49

Why do you think that this is all you deserve?

AskBasil · 27/07/2016 22:59

Yes, you want to work it out.

Unfortunately, he doesn't.

He's OK.

Sad
SandyY2K · 27/07/2016 23:15

Perhaps individual counselling is something for him before relate.

I just had a thought - he 'only' got a handjob from the parlour. Surely you could have done that for him, even with your bump and he could have given you pleasure without actually DTD.

As you already know, babies as lovely as they are, can bring a lot of stress and pressure to a relationship ... will he be running to the MP to cope all the time.

Happymassage · 27/07/2016 23:25

I have already pointed out to him that there will be more stress after the baby comes. I don't know if it has really hit him just how different it will be. He does need counselling himself I think, for various things and not just this. But it is imperative that we get counselling asap for this, when we are limited in time before the baby comes.

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chattygranny · 27/07/2016 23:37

To take it back, well done to have booked with relate. As long as you can both open up and you can have sessions separately as well as together for this which may be helpful. They also have sexual counsellors who may help your OH to work out why he needs to push the boundaries and risk everything. I'm no expert but it sounds like he may have sex addiction issues. Good luck with the counselling, I hope it helps you, whatever the outcome.

TheNaze73 · 27/07/2016 23:42

He's cheated, end of as far as I'm concerned. Proper game changer. At the end of the day, cheating can mean different things to different people. For me, sexting would be emotionally cheating & this is obviously far worse. There are licensed premises, where happy endings are legal & doesnt mean full sex is on offer from what I've read. Not trying to minimalise, far from it

Happymassage · 27/07/2016 23:51

He actually said that he doesn't have much of a sex drive right now and he doesn't really feel like it. That he is too stressed and busy. I have pointed out to him that he is replacing sexual intimacy within our relationship with the webcams and now this. I don't know if that makes him a sex addict, but it shows that he is addicted to the anonymity that it brings. I have told him that the only answer for him to stop behaving that way is to go cold turkey on all of it and for us to have therapy.

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