Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

Starting over after 25 years

975 replies

Lily007 · 19/05/2018 14:13

I never gave a thought to the too precise info I was giving so I’ve had to hide my old thread. Is that the right thing to do?

I don’t know what I was thinking divulging so much personal info 🙈

I’lll continue to post on this new thread, as anyone who’s been contributing already knows the background so there’s no need for the history to be visible in any case.

Thank you to the poster who warned me 🙄

OP posts:
Thread gallery
13
PrussianBlueVelvet · 31/05/2018 13:21

I believe that all posting here are trying to support you, even if that means that they will point out where they think you may be going wrong.

Many of us have had partners and husbands leave us for someone else... And eventually many of us realised that the time spent evaluating the OW's level of responsibility for the pain we endured, her appearance or her morals and trying to compare these to our own was counterproductive in all sorts of ways.

When we are that hurt, it is nearly impossible to accept that the relation was fulfilling for the one that left -for whatever reason- and that when they had a chance to extricate themselves from it they did.

Heaven knows I violently cringe when I look back at how I lost all dignity when someone I loved deeply and for ten years left me -ghosted me in fact- for someone they had impregnated, except I only found that out from a family friend, once the baby had been born months later.

The fact is, he did not leave me because they were going to have a child or because she was better or worse in any way, he left because the relationship he had with me did not meet his needs. The end.

I know that now, many years later but it has only been three months for you and you have conducted yourself with great poise and dignity. I admire you for that!

You are going through an unavoidable process, but consider the experiences of others, if you can, and the comments that point out truths that differ from yours -like bluntness'- these are well intentioned and helpful.

PrussianBlueVelvet · 31/05/2018 13:23

Third paragraph should read: 'not fulfilling'

Blueberryjuice1 · 31/05/2018 14:04

Prussianblue I do entirely agree that we are all trying to be supportive by providing our own experiences of how it happened to us and how we have since moved on. We hope those experiences will be helpful to Lily and others who are reading this thread. However there is a pattern you can see emerging. When anyone posts a different experience or point of view to the OP then she either ignores it or posts something disparaging about the poster.

In the end she has a choice, to continue believing that she knows best and never moving on, or maybe giving things more thought and working her way to closure.

Dard · 31/05/2018 14:14

Yes he definately went to DEFCON 1.
They never think they will get caught and think they can have both!

Bluntness100 · 31/05/2018 14:38

I think that everyone's intention is to stop Lilly's hurt and to support her. Either stop the pain now or in the longer term. Both objectives are achieved very differently. Both are well intentioned and come from a place of kindness and provide an outsiders view.

The first approach is "yes, you're right, just get through today"and the second approach is "don't think that, it will hurt so much more in the long run if you do". A mixture of both is no bad thing, but I totally get why the latter is not well recieved. I'm genuinely unsure if that means it's wrong to say it though....

Underthefur · 31/05/2018 14:43

Lily I have been lurking and silently cheering you on as you navigate this awful path but felt compelled to post (something I very rarely do) just to say that I think you are doing amazingly well.

Yes, others can offer their well-meaning theories and opinions based on their own experiences but none of us truly know how your marriage was before you discovered his affair. Only you know that and only you are having to live through the pain daily.

So from me, who has been where you are now and is coming out the other side, love and strength. I'm rooting for you Thanks

Dard · 31/05/2018 15:01

Sometimes it is hard to just get through the next hour at this early stage when your whole world has been turned upside down.You are do brilliantly Flowers

eleventwinkles · 31/05/2018 15:16

I totally agree with @Underthefur. Only Lily can speak on the state of her marriage. Not all affairs fit the classic theories on indefinitely. Sometimes it really does just come down to selfishness.
If Lily was looking to reconcile with her husband then perhaps all of these theories could be explored but from what I can gather there doesn't look to be much Lily could have done - bar joining him at the tattoo parlour or turning into a body builder? From reading Lily's posts he had moved the goal posts without telling her.
He may not even have wanted Lily to change. He could explore the excitement of new hobbies and partners and then have the reassurance of his wife who has been by his side for 25 years to continue with if his dalliances didn't go to plan.
Lily sending you much support and hoping you're feeling ok 💐

eleventwinkles · 31/05/2018 15:22

*infidelity!

Lily007 · 31/05/2018 15:42

Thanks everyone. I do take all your comments on board. Everyone is entitled to their opinion - I do get that.

I’ve been out most of the day, but I’ve just called home to check on the dog. I checked the post box and there was a fat brown envelope addressed to me in H’s handwriting. You can imagine what was going through my mind.

It was the dog’s pet insurance documentation 🙄.

I don’t really know why he’s sent it to me as he’s always paid it and it renews automatically at the end of April. If you recall, his post was building up at the house until he collected it (and all his other stuff) on Friday 4 May, the pet insurance renewal was amongst the post he took.

I’m a bit perplexed actually as to why he’s sent me the documents now, 3 weeks later. There’s no note with it so I assume he’s still paying it and I can’t ring the insurer to ask as the policy is in his name.

Another bloody mystery 🙈

OP posts:
MsPavlichenko · 31/05/2018 16:02

Does it say it is for this coming year?

Either it is another attempt via the dog to initiate contact or he has not paid it and this his way of letting you know.

My money is on him wanting you to have to contact him directly or indirectly via your DS to find out. Don't give him the satisfaction. Maybe you can call yourself if you have all the details in front of you. Not to mention the dog!

Blueberryjuice1 · 31/05/2018 16:02

We all agree that Lily’s H is a Grade A coward and worse, and that Lily is doing brilliantly. I’m sorry to hear about the package, another horrible reminder.

Maybe if this discussion can help even just one or two relationships as well as Lily then that can only be a good thing.

I think I was reminded by some comments about a friend (now separated). Who asked DP to go to counselling with him to discuss various issues and her reply was that he could go if he wanted but there was nothing wrong with her marriage.

MsPavlichenko · 31/05/2018 16:04

Sadly, he wants to know he is still in your head whilst he plays himself wherever. Pathetic really. Try and push him out again!

Lily007 · 31/05/2018 16:16

MsPav. The insurance policy is in H’s name so I can’t ring the insurance company for any information and yes the policy is for the period May 2018 to April 2019.

I’ll just have to hope he is paying it as if he isn’t I would have thought he’d have put a note with it telling me?

OP posts:
Dard · 31/05/2018 16:21

He has not put a note because he wants you to contact himxxx

Lily007 · 31/05/2018 16:28

Hi Dard. If that’s his intention he can go and swivel because I have no intention of contacting him. I’ll just have to cross my fingers that he’s continuing to pay it.

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 31/05/2018 16:32

As Lilly has the dog, it would be sensible for her to have the insurance documentation, for the opposite reason, she doesn't need to contact him if she needs to claim on the policy or needs to know if something is covered.

I'd agree with her, if he wasn't paying it I would assume he would have said he'd stopped.

Sadly I think this is him saying the dog is now hers. But there is no point in him having rhe insurance documentation and she has the dog.

Lily007 · 31/05/2018 16:36

Bluntness. He knows I don’t need the actual policy as in the past when we’ve needed to claim all I’ve had to do is download a claim form and the vet does everything else, as they have the insurance details on their system. Also he knows I have last year’s policy and the policy details don’t change.

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 31/05/2018 16:51

Ah ok, do you think he is trying to get you to contact him then?

Lily007 · 31/05/2018 17:00

God alone knows what he’s thinking. I’ve given up trying to second guess anything he does 🙄

OP posts:
Blueberryjuice1 · 31/05/2018 18:20

It probably means that he wants you to know he’s paid fir it this year but expects you to do it yourself after that if you've got the dog. Sorry it’s always one step forward, two steps back. It does get better.

Lily007 · 31/05/2018 20:00

Fingers crossed Blueberry.

OP posts:
Somekindoflove · 31/05/2018 20:12

He’s trying to initiate contact. In a very cowardly way.

Lily007 · 31/05/2018 20:19

I have no clue what he’s thinking or doing, I’m just going to continue with NC.

OP posts:
BettyBaggins · 31/05/2018 22:09

She will divorce him in her own good time. Though @lily do you think he might try filing for divorce first?

Swipe left for the next trending thread