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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

Positive STBXH has been lying, so why am I doubting myself!?

16 replies

ImNotCrazyRight · 13/03/2019 22:10

Current situation is I'm divorcing H, my choice. Dead relationship for a long time. Still living together in the short term, told him he is free to move on in this time.

A couple of years ago messenger popped up on his tablet between him and woman at work, nothing bad but the tone was slightly flirty and didn't sound like him. I asked if I could look at his phone, and he let me. After he had been to the toilet with it. He had deleted over 40 messages from this woman as the history was still there. Wouldn't tell me what was in the them. Just said more of the same stuff as tablet messages. He also had mentionitis then never mentioned her after this. Categorically denied cheating and I believed him as I couldn't see how he even had the opportunity as he was home, work or shopping.

Fast forward and we have split. Amicable but I'm not loving living together still. Something felt off recently and I searched his stuff when he was out. I found a condom in his drawer. Which disappeared when he went on a night out, which turns out was with this woman from his work. He left his car there (I know where she lives and I drove down to check) one night as he had been drinking, he never told me he was going out with her, I worked it out based on where he said his car was.

Found a second phone in the bottom of his work bag. Charged. Pin number set. No SIM card inside. Also bag had some sex toys - cock rings, homemade ring gag, small vibrator and some of his underwear which I don't think was clean. Also found women's underwear which I know he used to wear a lot and I told him years ago it was a deal breaker for me so he got rid of it all and stopped wearing it. Was there one day then 3 days later all gone from his bag except for phone. Can't find it anywhere else in the house.

Now I've asked him how long it's been going on with woman from work and he's denied it is or ever has. I can't tell him I've searched his stuff yet. He is VERY convincing and I always thought I knew him well. Says it's important to him that I believe him as I clearly don't. Swore on parents grave he hasn't slept with X, which actually makes me think maybe it's someone else as he kept saying nothing has happened with X, swear on parents grave etc. He also admitted he was flirting with her and was flattered by the attention 2 years ago (think he forgot that he never actually told me this) and that she had told him she liked him. But he backed off out of respect for me.

Now I'm not bothered if he's moving on NOW, but clearly a second hidden phone shows this has been longer. His normal phone is always on silent and has been for a long time and I know he's on messenger until 1am most nights. He has hardly any friends so it's not like he's chatting to a mate.

I'm not mad am I? It does add up to something doesn't it?

OP posts:
Lollypop701 · 13/03/2019 22:15

I don’t think you are mad op... go with your gut 😩

izekiah · 13/03/2019 22:24

stop snooping, he’s ur soon to be ex. It doesn’t matter anymore

ScrumptiousBears · 13/03/2019 22:29

I can understand why you want to know but it'll tie you i knots. Just leave it.

officeworker36 · 13/03/2019 22:48

if you keep thinking about this it will drive you mad not being able to find out the truth.

you're going your separate ways, it doesn't matter what happened in the past now or what he's doing in the present. Erase him from your life and move on

ImNotCrazyRight · 13/03/2019 23:09

Right, so a 20 year relationship where I thought I could trust him 100% doesn't matter that he's clearly been lying for God knows how long. And I just need to forget it. I hate being lied to.

OP posts:
SandyY2K · 13/03/2019 23:47

If the relationship has been dead for a while, as you say, then maybe he was lying.

I think you need to drop it or you'll drive yourself mad.

It's your choice to split, but your obviously still emotionally invested, or you wouldn't have gone snooping.

ImNotCrazyRight · 13/03/2019 23:51

I just really resent being lied to. And I went snooping because of the questions he was asking about financial stuff and something just didn't feel right. He has never been able to explain where his spending money has gone and I have been suspicious of this.

Ultimately it doesn't matter. But the fact he can look me in the face now and declare how it's important I believe him.when I know he's lying is an insult to my intelligence.

OP posts:
dontdoubtyourself · 13/03/2019 23:57

Chances are he's been having an affair for 2 years which is how your relationship ended up dead and you decided to end it. He will never admit it even if you found cold hard evidence. He cant possibly be the bad guy, or he would have left you instead. Saving face.

SandyY2K · 14/03/2019 00:03

To be honest him deleting the 40 messages was evidence of at least an emotional affair. Or some really heavy flirting.

He may have got the second phone after that to take the affair underground...and he could leave his main phone around without any need to worry.

Never think anyone doesn't have the time for an affair. Lunchtimes and annual leave you don't know about are easy ways to get round that.

He might have decided to pursue the colleague properly when you ended it. Some things in life we will never know.

Was he bothered when you ended things? Do you have kids together and still have to see him after the divorce?

Ferfeckssake · 14/03/2019 00:07

I totally get it OP. It is the lying that drives you crazy.It makes you feel stupid and also makes you question everything he ever said and did.

RamblinRosie · 14/03/2019 00:40

Maybe just me, but all of my experience is that swearing on mother’s, children’s, hamster’s lives/graves is a give away of lying. It’s a it theatrical. It’s an attempt to make you feel guilty for suggesting it.

Similarly “you can’t prove it “ is shorthand for “I did it but I don’t think you have any evidence “.

A genuine innocent will say “No, I didn’t “ or similar.

(Not to say that a guilty party won’t say “No, I didn’t “. )

Frenchmontana · 14/03/2019 04:17

OP, you arent going to ever know whether he started seeing her or someone else before your marriage ended.

I get you want to know, but you will have to make peace with the fact that you wont.

Now you have split, how would you feel if he went through all your private things?

ponyprincess · 14/03/2019 04:27

Stop giving him headspace and focus on your happy future without him

Starlight456 · 14/03/2019 06:08

I would say you are more than like right but reality is he isn’t going to admit it right now . You do need to focus on you.

I think sometimes it is ok to know you are right and know you deserve better

cricketmum84 · 14/03/2019 06:14

I'm sure you are right and that it's been going on a while. BUT you have now split and are divorcing. There is no benefit in you driving yourself nuts thinking about it. In the great words of queen Elsa "let it go". And stop snooping through his stuff. You would not like it if he was going through your private things!!

officeworker36 · 14/03/2019 19:26

what do you want to achieve? if you want the truth and you know you won't get it from him who can you get it from instead? just remember the more you go around asking questions from other people, the more angry or frustrated you're going to get if you can't get to the truth and other people will start to think you're obsessed

I know it's hard if you want to get to the truth, but honestly, if you let things go, move on, stop caring etc it will be better for you in the long run. Tell yourself it's been going on for years, that he's secretly been cheating on you. Tell yourself he's a horrible person, that you don't need or want anything to do with him anymore. It will make it easier to hate him and ultimately it will make it easier to stop caring about him. Until you can get over that it's going to keep eating at you

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