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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

OW's DH has just contacted me almost one year later...

324 replies

NameChaChaChange · 24/02/2019 04:44

My DH kissed an ex colleague after a few weeks of flirting, messaging and work night outs almost one year ago..

Shortly after I discovered what had happened, I messaged the OW's DH essentially asking him how he was coping, if he was okay - I basically was hoping to gleam more info from him that my DH perhaps hadn't parted with, but his wife may have.

Anyway! The man never got back to me, but this evening, 10 and a half months later, he has...

He's sent me a friend request and asked me how I'm doing and that he should have asked a long time ago:..

I'm now wide awake freaking out that this bloke is going to tell me things that happened between his wife and my DH that I've been blissfully unaware of for the last year.

Why contact me now?????

OP posts:
MsDogLady · 25/02/2019 21:31

So he is clearly continuing to lie to you. I agree with AF, that after you said you knew more and left the house, he contacted the OW to get their stories straight.

He is an abuser. You are being abused. Someday you will see that truth.

He will not change or voluntarily relinquish control, hence his pretense of participation in counseling. It sounds like you exhaust yourself treading water while constantly shielding yourself from his darts, which include:

Gaslighting, minimizing, stonewalling, lying, threatening, criticizing, ordering, denying, judging, blocking, trivializing, deflecting blame, silencing, undermining, shaming, raging, guilt-baiting, victim-playing, and other tactics used to control and manipulate you.

When he throws the above at you, he wants to destabilize you. You’ve commented that, in response to him, you experience feelings of confusion, self-doubt, guilt, and worry that you are overreacting and distorting reality. You walk on eggshells, and wonder what you’ll “be upset over next,” hoping you can deal with it in a way that “won’t anger my DH.” You tamp down and hide your true self (and your Bancroft book) from him.

One day you will say, ”Enough is enough.”

Sadiesnakes · 25/02/2019 21:59

Are you sure he even finished with her? Him using whatsapp regularly and saying he doesn't suggests he's talking inappropriately to someone, I know who I'd be betting on.

Please op, please, it's so frustrating reading threads like these. Please see your self worth and see him for what he is and that's a nasty, cheating narcissist that has ruined your life, no end.

One of my strongest ltbs. Thanks

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 25/02/2019 22:03

You know that you can leave someone because you dislike their haircut. You can leave someone because they snore. You can leave them because you think the bloke living across the road is really fit. You can leave someone because they kissed someone else. You can read someone because they are unpleasant to you. You can leave someone for no reason whatsoever.

You don’t have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he has done something truly terrible. Just decide if your life would be nicer without him. If it would then go!

thefourgp · 25/02/2019 22:06

When you break up OP it’s going to be shit. He’s going to make your life difficult. He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t respect you. He’s worn you down to be the submissive partner he wants and he’ll be very angry if you challenge his lies and end the relationship because he’ll be losing control of you. Things will get worse before they get better but you have to keep focused on ‘they will get better’. If you stay with him things will never get better. You’ll drift along in a fog of denial and every couple of months etc something will happen to remind you of how little he cares for you. It’s inevitable. It’s no way to live. I’d start organising your documents like another poster said and think about what is in your best interest. X

MsDogLady · 26/02/2019 01:28

DH has whatsapp but has repeatedly told me he doesn’t use it, despite it having shown him as being active on there a few times over the last few months.

Yesterday morning, I opened WhatsApp to see he’d been online shortly after I’d left. ...he said he’d been on there to delete the app...

I told him this evening that he had no reason to be on the app to delete it...he told me ‘didn’t mean to click on it and open it up.’

You’ve known for months that he was lying to your face about being on WhatsApp. Now he has lied again about why he was on it yesterday. He communicated with the OW yesterday, and with her or other women the other times.

Surely it is over now. I wouldn’t attempt to make him admit it. He won’t. That’s okay, because you will be walking away with your dignity, and that is all that matters.

DBML · 26/02/2019 01:52

*AnyFucker

He went on Whatsapp to contact OW.*

Yep...he probably wants to find out exactly what she told her DH and what he could possibly pass onto you op. Took first opportunity to message her when you went out.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 26/02/2019 04:48

NameChange - I will echo other posters and say stop telling him that you are catching him out in a lie (as with the Whatsapp). All this will do is actually make him worse, because he will feel his control is slipping.
As a result of this, he will EITHER go on a charm offensive to suck you back in, but since your relationship is already precarious and he hasn't been doing much in the way of charming you so far this seems unlikely; OR he will ramp up the gaslighting and the nastiness and leave you reeling with hurt, and feeling so unworthy.

You have no need to do this. What you DO have to start doing is called "grey rock" reactions - do not give him the satisfaction of having any response to anything he does.

I can understand why you want him to change, but he won't - or, if he does, it will be temporary and purely as bait to suck you back in. Once he has you hooked in again, he will revert.

I have no thought or opinion on the situation with OW now, because in all honesty I feel it's now almost irrelevant - it's a tiny candle in the beacon glare of his emotional abuse of you.

Do you have local family/ RL friends? if you do, start talking to them. You might be interested to find that they have known for a while that your situation is far from ideal but haven't known how to help you. This is very often the case. They may also be able to offer you help if/when you DO decide enough is enough.

Remember the only shame here belongs to HIM. He is the abuser, he is the adulterer (however "minimal"), he is the one trying to send you crazy. HE is the one who is in the wrong. They rely on you feeling ashamed to keep it secret and tell no one - blow this out of the water by telling people.

Good luck x

Fairenuff · 26/02/2019 09:55

Oh just leave them to it OP. If it's not her it will be someone else. He lies to you all the time.

Wellfuckmeinbothears · 26/02/2019 11:10

How are you today? D

Wellfuckmeinbothears · 26/02/2019 11:11

Oops sorry ignore that random D! Was meant to be Flowers

Missingstreetlife · 26/02/2019 12:02

Cut teaches practical ways of dealing w anxiety etc, you need proper counselling. Also get away for few days and clear your head. See relate alone,with a view to couple counselling later if you still want it.
Is he bothered if you leave? If not do it, if so do it if you want to or find a way of making it work.,you can't go on like this, both miserable.

Missingstreetlife · 26/02/2019 12:19

Cbt, not cut. Doh!

NameChaChaChange · 26/02/2019 12:27

Well, we've slept in different rooms for the last two nights (my choice, I don't want to be near him right now).

I tried calling his bluff yesterday though. I hoped that if I wrote down all of the things he 'wants' me to do and how I'm 'expected' to act, he might actually see how fucking stupid he's being and how ridiculous his expectations are. He read my message and spoke nothing of it when he got home. I asked him if he had anything to say, to which he of course said no.

It's shown me that he's entirely happy for me to 'put up and shut up', to never express myself, to not show any of my feelings, to not hold him accountable for his actions and as such, never expect support accordingly.

Going back to what I said yesterday about that slither of hope - I really thought he might turn around to me after he'd seen my message and be like 'don't be silly! You shouldn't be feeling that way! Of course you can come to me, of course you can still open up, I don't want you dealing with things on your own!'. But nope. Just me being pathetic and hopeful.

Regarding the CBT - I had a consultation telephone appt with the NHS Therapy For You services, and after I explained what I needed help with, the woman on the phone said CBT would be best for me, so I just agreed. Have yet to have any in person appointments though.

OP posts:
Missingstreetlife · 26/02/2019 12:52

Go to relate, it might only take a couple of sessions. Cbt is what they've got so that's what they offer, could be ages.

MsDogLady · 26/02/2019 16:41

Your heartfelt message gave him more ammunition to devalue you.

He has ground you down “to a shell of my former self.” He will never develop pangs of conscience and change his ways. That is not how a psychological abuser operates. To him, you are his narcissistic supply.

I would make an appointment for individual counseling as soon as possible. Tell trustworthy family and friends.You need much support to break away from this toxic relationship.

Bigblue1970 · 26/02/2019 16:42

Sorry you are going through this.

I had a similar reaction from my DH when I confronted him and every time I brought it up. It was me that was holding us back from moving forward by bringing it up.

However, the truth of the matter was that it was still going on and being questioned put him on edge and made him defensive.

My guess is it's still very much going on and he doesn't want you digging. Please make sure you look after yourself and don't fall for the poor excuses and pity party he is attending. X

spiderplantsalad · 26/02/2019 18:20

Please don't go to Relate. It's recommended to avoid joint counselling with an abuser.

Missingstreetlife · 26/02/2019 18:30

You can go rob relate alone, it's very helpful.

FizzyGreenWater · 26/02/2019 18:34

It's shown me that he's entirely happy for me to 'put up and shut up', to never express myself, to not show any of my feelings, to not hold him accountable for his actions and as such, never expect support accordingly.

Absolutely - and the reason for that is that he doesn't care one bit about how you feel. Same reason he feels he can fool around with other people and not really be sorry - he's not sorry. You're not that important. Whine away, he's not really listening. oh yes, it's nice to have you around, but if you go, he'll find someone else. It's not like he loves you or really gives a shit, so he doesn't feel any urge to even placate you, much less spend time and energy keeping you happy.

Please leave. I would be astonished if, after a couple of months, you needed CBT at all. What you need is to get out of what is absolutely an abusive, nasty 'relationship' which simply consists of being treated badly by a horrible man.

PepsiLola · 27/02/2019 08:42

Op did the discussion with OW's DH lead to any information?

NameChaChaChange · 27/02/2019 16:07

Well I found out the story that the OW had told her DH (which I've mentioned already in this thread) but other than, not masses.

DH has an old phone here which synchs to his current one still, with my mind running at a billion miles per hour, I checked his internet history today.

It's showed that on Sunday - after we had the initial argument - he was googling new places to live. And today he was googling travelodges.. I know people will say he's googling hotels to see OW but I know for 100% fact that won't be the case, it'll just be so he doesn't have to come home and deal with 'this shit'.

I called him and asked why the fuck he'd been looking at staying in a hotel for tonight (this was before I'd scrolled back further and seen the spareroom website searches) and he didn't have an answer, just said he'd 'talk when he gets in'.

I feel like I'm going out of my mind. There's no fight in him whatsoever. There's no desire to show me how much he wants me and how desperately he doesn't want to lose his family.

I laid my life on the line last night and properly told him all the ways his infidelity and his lack of support has affected me. He didn't have much to say other than that he loves me, he wants to change and that he's sorry.

Oh, but he did say that he hates when we walk past the place where the OW works, and that he hates that we could randomly bump in to her again. I told him that I feel sick to my stomach every time I leave the house knowing that I could see her at any given opportunity Angry

OP posts:
LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 27/02/2019 16:29

How do you KNOW that he won't be seeing the OW again, OP?

How does that even correlate with his vile comment to you about 'next time'?

I think you're being played. I think you know it too, deep down, you just don't want to acknowledge it at the moment. Sorry. :(

NameChaChaChange · 27/02/2019 16:40

No, I genuinely know he wouldn't be seeing her.
I have access to all of his accounts and they never exchanged phone numbers. The hotel he was looking at was right by his work, so he would've stayed there for a 'breather' away from this mess then been able to get to work quickly (his work is also pretty far from us, so it makes sense to stay in a travelodge close to work).

They're not in contact anymore. I know you lot likely want to believe that they are and the hotel would've been for the two of them to use, but I honestly know it wouldn't have been.

OP posts:
Fairenuff · 27/02/2019 16:46

Hopefully he's going to say he's leaving you. It's best for both of you. This is not a good relationship. You really do need to separate so if it comes from him at least you don't have to keep on suffering until you come to the same conclusion yourself.

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