Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

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

If your husband might maybe possibly slightly be getting too close to someone...

83 replies

DandyScandi · 17/11/2018 19:53

This feels ridiculous.

I am beginning to suspect my husband is getting closer to a friend/person he met whilst working (think "client" but not really). But in a way that I can't possibly question without feeling like a crazy wife! As in - there is nothing to suggest anything untoward, other than the fact I know my husband...

He always talks about who he has had meetings with and what his day has looked like (isn't office based,so it's a topic of general chat in our household, who he's met and where he's been etc) - but he's started being quite evasive in offering details. When he is evasive and I've questioned him more, it's been this woman that he's meeting. But his evasiveness is totally not the kind I could call him out on, as it's so "natural". Like he'll say "then i have a meeting with someone at 2pm before going to meet Jack to debrief". So it's totally normal! But he'd usually say "I'm meeting Ruth at 2pm" or "I'm meeting a person from X business at 2pm"

And he looks a little more...forced?! when he mentions he's meeting her. Like he's trying to look normal about it. But maybe he just is normal and I'm reading into that?!

And (we freely swap phones and use each others messaging apps etc, so he's not trying to hide stuff as he knows I'll likely see chats etc) he messages her A LOT. More than any other "client"/ friend. But none of the messages are anything suspicious. But just quite frequent (for a guy who rarely replies to my messages!).

She's interested in his line of work, and he's offering her advice and support in that, which is also normal for his business - there are several people he's doing this for, but it seems different with her. But maybe I'm paranoid?

And finally, she confides quite a lot in him - but in a general chat kind of way, I think. So it can be quite personal, but not more than you would be with any friend. I think it's because the lines are blurred in his work between work and friendships - everyone ends up quite chummy and socialise a lot etc... clients and staff and other work connections etc. I'd feel more comfortable if she was clearly in the "work" category, but she seems to creep more and more into "friend I don't mention meeting" category. But he wouldn't hide it if I asked directly... and he's invited her to our home, and I know he's occasionally (but not often) mentioned me to her in messages (so she knows I exist!)...

If it makes a difference, she's VERY similar in looks and personality to his ex. And I'm very different to them (different race and different cultural background, so quite different!).

Do I sit back and watch quietly to see, so I don't come across as crazy?!

Do I ask him why he avoids telling me he's meeting her?

Do I just outright say "so do you have a crush on X or what?!"

Or what do I say or do? Just leave it seems the least insane to me, but I hate that it could become something more and I might have been able to stop it by mentioning it to him now. Or will it become something anyway, with someone else if not her, if that's the way he is...? I don't think he is, but if I've learnt anything on mumsnet, it's that we can't be as certain about men as we thought we could.

I feel ridiculous contemplating saying anything to him based purely on my hunch. But when is gut feeling actually worth acting on and when should it be ignored?

Gah! Thanks for any advice!

OP posts:
BifsWif · 17/11/2018 20:34

I’m a huge believer in trusting your gut.

Could you speak to him about if? If it’s making you uncomfortable you need to discuss this with him.

Alienspaceship · 17/11/2018 20:37

Why on earth can’t you confront him? Say exactly what you’ve written above. Sounds like a crush to me. You can tell him that too.

BumbleBeee69 · 17/11/2018 20:39

Don't be delicate about this, is it's making you feel uncomfortable then call him out on it, fuck wasting time worrying about sounding like the jealous wife, let him know that you think her confiding in him is inappropriate and it's crossing boundaries.

if it feels wrong, it's wrong lady Flowers

Steakandkidney · 17/11/2018 20:44

Usually if they're really wanting a woman they develop mentionitis and can't stop going on about them. This just sounds as though he's respecting you.

Petalflowers · 17/11/2018 20:45

The fact that he isn’t hiding his phone isa good sign. However, he does sound like he is straying into emotional affair territory, without realising it.

Maybe comment about her chumminess. Are you able to make a joke about it, to see how he reacts.

LightningOne · 17/11/2018 20:50

A woman's intuition rarely fails her - EVERY time I've decided to go against my instinctual gut feeling (hoping it wouldn't be true), I've been wrong and wished I went with my instinct.

It's a tough one as in the past, whenever I've confronted such "shady" situations, the man has always denied it (often coming up with elaborate innocent explanations as to why this, that and the other happened), which I later find out to be false.

Has he mentioned other women in great detail in the past when working with them but just being a bit evasive about this one or does he generally only ever mention men to you? Would definitely be odd if he openly mentions his other female clients/colleagues but not this one. If he's like that about all females, it might mean he's worried about triggering any insecurity / jealousy in you perhaps...

I think you should maybe confront but be prepared for excuses etc. which may not be true. Also, if possible, try doing some digging around beforehand to see if you can get anything more concrete as no doubt once you confront him, he'll definitely make it harder for you to find solid evidence from him IF something is going on.

another20 · 17/11/2018 20:56

there is nothing to suggest anything untoward, other than the fact I know my husband...

the killer line -- what does this mean....?

user1457017537 · 17/11/2018 20:58

I can totally understand your concern but I don’t think you would have grounds for confronting him, even in a jokey way. I know it’s hard but can you just keep an eye on this

itshappened · 17/11/2018 21:07

I think it sounds like a crush too. I work in sales and when I was younger there were times when I had favourite clients and one or two I did fancy. I have been in a relationship with the same man throughout my career and have never cheated. These crushes always fizzled out, but I confess it was fun having someone to flirt and banter with, and go on client lunches and jollies with etc. I think it sounds pretty harmless at the moment as he isn't hiding anything from you. That being said, you know your husband. If you think he would respond well to confrontation, then do that. If it were my husband, I think I would tease him about this woman and say he blushes or something like that when he mentions her, to make a point I've noticed the crush, but to hopefully not turn it into an argument or make him start hiding his meetings because he thinks I'm jealous/paranoid.

Thebluedog · 17/11/2018 21:07

I think I’d have an open and honest conversation with him. Sounds like the lines are starting to get blurred and he needs to be careful it doesn’t over step the mark. If he’s got anything about him he’ll understand, appreciate your concern and step back. If he gets argumentative and defensive I’d say you may have a problem on your hands

DandyScandi · 17/11/2018 21:08

Thank you for your replies.

I could easily talk to him about it (I'm usually a talker/confronter!), but I'm hesitant for some reason. I think (whilst I would obviously hate it for him to cheat), part of me wants to know if he would. How far he would take this. Because if the only reason he stops it is because I've stepped in, then he would still be the person who might cheat - does that make any sense at all?! Only I wouldn't know that about him then.

But that might just be a ridiculous way of thinking. I obviously don't want to push him away, and so probably should intercept now rather than wait til it gets further along. If it would.

Weirdly, despite avoiding telling me he's meeting her, he mentions her more than others. Just not mentioning meeting her on her own. She has a hobby and he often talks about it ("you should see her sketches, she's so good, her pictures are amazing, you'd really like them" etc etc), and she crops up often in "we should invite X to this" or "that's the kind of thing X would be interested in for her career development - I should let her know it's happening so she could attend" etc. So not about their 1-1 meetings but quite often about her in general. Ugh.

OP posts:
DandyScandi · 17/11/2018 21:16

More replies since I started typing that.

He is usually very open mentioning other women. Doesn't ever avoid telling me if he's meeting other women. Uses their names etc. It's just this one that is "meeting someone" "met someone" etc.

another20 what I mean by that is that that I know he's not secretive like this with others, he doesn't mention others in the same way he does her, and he doesn't message others as much as her. So the basic way he's acting isn't suspicious and wouldn't be suspicious if he behaved like this with everyone, but I know him enough to know he isn't like this with everyone, so that makes me suspicious. Not the actions themselves, as such. It makes sense in my head!

OP posts:
Petalflowers · 17/11/2018 21:19

Definitely sounds like a slight crush, or he admires her.

It’s a tricky one, because you don’t want to sound like a jealous wife, but you want to know where you stand. I totally get your point about not stopping anything, because then you don’t know if he had cheating capabilities.

Petalflowers · 17/11/2018 21:21

I think you are trying to work out if something is going on in plain sight. I think he is straying in to an ea, but because he mentions her diesn’t realise it, or realise ea doesn’t exist.

CartoonCat · 17/11/2018 21:50

Maybe you should suggest inviting her for dinner or some such? I.e. get to know her better. Whatever happens then will be telling.

To my shame I had what could be called an ea. Before it started properly I tried to have the om and ex-dp get to know each other better (suggesting dinners with other people, doing things together etc) as knew I was on shaky ground, but ex-dp wasn’t interested, even saying he had enough friends and the Om wasn’t the sort of bloke he wanted to be friends with. Not blaming my ex for my faults but I do think if I hadn’t had the two in such seperate spaces it wouldn’t have progressed

CartoonCat · 17/11/2018 21:53

Happy to answer other questions about the ea although please don’t flame me as it has been horrendous. Looking back there are so many things I would have done differently

BumbleBeee69 · 17/11/2018 22:02

Don't leave this too long, there's a very good chance time simply allows this to develop into something way more emotional uninterrupted OP.

Escolar · 17/11/2018 22:04

My DH was like this a few years about a woman he worked with. I had never felt jealous of his female friends and colleagues before, but this felt different to me. She was married too btw. I did mention it to him, so he knew I wasn't 100% happy about things, but at the end of the day you have to trust someone. As far as I know nothing happened between them, and eventually she moved away.

LadyLapsang · 17/11/2018 22:40

You mention his ex; why did that relationship end?

Steakandkidney · 17/11/2018 22:46

Having read your last posts, yeah, there's an affair on it's way.
Mentionitis has happened (she's so good, bla bla)
There is a distinct pattern to his behaviour around her which is different to before. So she has changed the way he thinks feels and behaves. The stuff he says tells you this is because he admires her.
Any man who needs stopping from cheating is as bad as one who cheats. I totally get you. Watch and wait here and you will get your answer.

DandyScandi · 17/11/2018 22:54

petal I absolutely think he's the kind of guy who could end up in an EA without realising it. Or at least, without admitting that that is what it is, and genuinely believing he isn't in one.

cartoon she's been for dinner twice in the last 6 months at his request. It's always really awkward and I find it hard work because she's SO quiet. I can barely draw conversation out of her, and I'm actually a pretty good conversationalist! So it's weird to me that she's so unengaged with me.

She has told him in the last few days that she has broken up with her boyfriend... I found this out through their messages when I was using his phone, so he hasn't volunteered that info to me. And she must've told him in person, as it was referenced in a message my husband wrote, not told by her in the text conversation. I think he's seen her twice this week and not mentioned it.

The thing is, her spending time with him is actually really beneficial to her work, and it's kinda his job to help others like her progress, if that makes sense. So for me to get funny about it will just cause him to say "but it's my job, I'm meant to help and support people like her, and it's detrimental to her work not to have the help". And I'll look like the bad guy for not caring about her work prospects...(frankly I don't, but there's a difference between being a bitch and actually letting people know you're one... Wink )

Perhaps I should suggest he links her with one of his direct colleagues who could do the same for her.

OP posts:
Steakandkidney · 17/11/2018 22:58

I'd do what you said in your last sentence. The breaking up with her boyfriend but is free reign for him to swoop in.
FWIW I don't believe men think fancying, flirting with and thinking of a woman as an emotional affair. To them, an affair is sex. He' isn't having sex, so he won't see the problem.

CartoonCat · 17/11/2018 22:59

Is there a chance she’s using him?

CartoonCat · 17/11/2018 23:00

Tbh and this is hard I have a feeling whatever happens here it’ll come out in the wash over the next month or so. I hope it ends well x

DandyScandi · 17/11/2018 23:01

LadyLapsang they were young. His first "proper" relationship, when they were at university, and they were just heading in different directions I think. We met a year or so after it ended. I met her a couple of times, and she's VERY like this new woman.

OP posts: