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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

My life is in ruins - Affair with married man

318 replies

Stormtheprincess · 02/10/2019 14:14

Hi

Two years ago my husband had an affair which resulted in the end of our marriage.

Fast forward 3 months and I became involved in a sexting relationship with a former colleague over Facebook.

This continued daily for for many months and I became emotionally attached to this man despite knowing he had a history of cheating on his wife several times over the years. He openly told me about his conquests. For whatever reason that wasn’t enough to put me off.

We met up and started seeing each other in person and I ended up pregnant with twins.

I told him about it and he said we couldn’t continue to be involved if I went ahead with the pregnancy. For weeks I went back and forth and kept changing my mind about what to do. My biggest fear was that he was lying to me and was involved with someone other than me and his wife as he had previously mentioned he had an affair that went on for years and years and said that woman had been in touch to meet up again but he declined. He came to my house, held my hand and looked into my eyes and promised me it was only me he wanted and there wasn’t anyone else and hadnt been the entire time we were I involved. He swore on the lives of his adult kids and grandson and in the end I had a termination but by this time I was 14 weeks gone.

On the day of the abortion he was at a family wedding and he did check on me that before morning but I was angry with him so he didn’t contact me again the rest of the day.

He said he hadn’t been on his phone the whole day.

Things got difficult for me after that, I was filled with regret and terrible guilt. I was open with him about my feelings. He seemed fairly supportive at that time.

I felt we had gotten closer due to it all and became more attached to him and felt like I loved him.

Something felt off, I can’t explain why but I asked him who the woman was that he had the affair with for years and he refused to tell me. That made alarm bells ring because I thought maybe he’s worried I find out something he doesn’t want me to know. After I pushed him he told me who she was and I knew of her but didn’t know her personally. I messaged her on Facebook and asked her if she was still in contact with him and stupidly I told him I was doing this.

She said she wasn’t but asked me a lot of questions which made me suspicious.

2 weeks went by and she messaged me and showed me pictures he has sent her on the day I had the abortion, so he had been on his phone and was busy sending her messages as I was bleeding out his twins. She also told me dates they had been together and send me copies of messages.

He came to my house and I said I can’t believe you lied to me and I believed you. Why that wasn’t hard for me to believe I’m not sure as he had been lying to his wife for 30 years so why would I be an exception to the rule?

He begged for forgiveness and apologised said he ended it after the abortion. For a few days I went along with it but I became ill with anxiety. I didn’t sleep for 4 days and couldn’t think straight.

In mid August he had just left my house after we spent a lovely evening together. The other woman messaged again and showed me new information where he instructed her to lie to me and told her I was nobody and he didn’t love me he loved her.

I snapped and got ready and walked round to his house, knocked his door and he answered. I said I couldn’t listen to his lies any longer it was too painful and I had to tell his wife because if I didn’t he would somehow manage to talk me round into forgiving him again and that would only led to more pain. He then got in his car and drove away and his wife came to the door and I told her the truth. That he’s lied to her for 30 years.

I haven’t heard from him since. I deleted my social media.

I’m absolutely distraught over it all, I feel like such a fool and the guilt is killing me. I have terrible nightmares and my anxiety is crippling. I can’t go on like this. I’m in therapy but it’s going to take time.

I feel ashamed that given I was cheated on I entered a relationship with a married man and even more ashamed I aborted two innocent babies to continue to see him and now it’s all been for nothing.

I think every word he ever said was a lie. It’s all so confusing. I just cry all day. Don’t go out and go over the messages time and time again trying to make peace with it all or find answers.

I would love to sit down with him and get some closure but I know that won’t happen.

He’s totally broken me and I have no idea where I go from here.

OP posts:
MySonIsAlsoNamedBort · 02/10/2019 17:46

@Stormtheprincess
Alrighty. You're selfish.
Good luck.

jobbinggogger · 02/10/2019 17:47

There is one person you are stuck with forever- yourself. You can either be your own worst enemy or your best friend. If you want to support yourself be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself. Understand that you were taken advantage of when you were at a low point. There is a reason for everything that happens and maybe this was to show you to a place of greater insight and understanding. I am sure you might have had a history of letting people take advantage, or trusting too easily. You can still have kids, get married and have the life you want. But you will need to choose to mindfully create a better future instead of beating yourself up over things you cannot change now.

Stormtheprincess · 02/10/2019 17:47

What are any of us looking for on posts? To vent about how we feel. To find out if anyone else has felt the way we do etc

OP posts:
Stormtheprincess · 02/10/2019 17:49

That is your opinion. What good will it do me to take on the pain of others when I’m not able to deal with my own. How will that help them in anyway?

Will his wife heal faster because she knows the most recent in his long line of mistresses is sorry?

I know that wouldn’t have mattered to me when I was cheated on.

OP posts:
Stormtheprincess · 02/10/2019 17:50

jobbinggogger

That’s the thing I don’t have a history of being that way. It only applied with this man and I need to find out why to prevent it from ever happening again.

OP posts:
Interestedwoman · 02/10/2019 17:51

And advice/encouragement.

There was nothing wrong with your post. You sounded really down in it :( Hugs xxx

MrsDemeanor · 02/10/2019 17:53

My partner did similar to you after his own relationship ended after being cheated on for a good while. He ended up having an affair with his brothers g (my partner was single) and fell for a lot of false promises thinking hed found someone who either wouldn't betray him, or ultimately wouldn't be able to betray him because she was the one cheating.

Therapy will absolutely be dragging it up. Weve recently been to doctors and the courts for help and its normally then he will have a big dump of information for me.

The only way forward is no contact. Be prepared for the fact he may try to turn things on you. Weve had to get a restraining order too. Best of luck.

Stormtheprincess · 02/10/2019 17:53

Interestedwoman

I am. I feel lower than I have ever felt I just keep hoping tomorrow will be better but not yet and it’s not a straight process sometimes I jump from sadness to anger then back again.

OP posts:
Stormtheprincess · 02/10/2019 17:54

MrsDemeanor

That seems like a stressful situation. I don’t think he’ll get in contact. Not even to have a go.

OP posts:
MrsDemeanor · 02/10/2019 17:54

Oops just want to add that's not a negative about the therapy.

My advice there would be to stick on subjects with them. Don't see it as a race to get the story out. The point of therapy is processing things and it sounds a bit to me like you do similar to what I've had to guide my partner into doing and processing rather than dumping

FavouriteSong · 02/10/2019 17:54

The nursing staff actually let you view the foetuses after the termination? That's shocking. No wonder you have PTSD.

AllFourOfThem · 02/10/2019 17:56

And can you explain further what you mean by should have clocked the twins?

MN Bingo! Grin

PepePig · 02/10/2019 17:57

Why is your pain so important, though? It's not as if these traumatic events happened to you and you had no say in them. You actively chose to do all these things. No one forced you to have an affair with a married man. No one forced you to have an abortion. You, as a woman in your 40s, chose to do these things. You aren't naive. You aren't a 17 year old who's been taken advantage of.

You literally knew he was a multiple cheat. What made you think you were so special? Yes, your husband cheated and that's terrible. But you can't act like you were a victim in this.

RogueV · 02/10/2019 17:58

Just want to say forgive yourself firstly.
Take your time.
Forget the other man.
Flowers

NewMe2019 · 02/10/2019 18:06

You sound like a teenager. Not a woman in her 40s who should know better.

You have a very detached way of writing. And amazingly fertile to get pregnant with twins at your age. Were you using contraception or were you secretly hoping for an 'accident'?

Stormtheprincess · 02/10/2019 18:06

Pepepig

I haven’t said that anyone forced me to do anything.

I haven’t said I’m a victim.

You are making assumption.

I said I believed he wasn’t being honest with me and made decisions based on that.

OP posts:
JinglingHellsBells · 02/10/2019 18:07

@Stormtheprincess The words' arse' and 'arsey' are not swear words. arsey tends to be belligerant and looking to pick an argument.

So sorry love, but I didn't' swear and I certainly didn't tell you to go and fuck yourself.

dottiedodah · 02/10/2019 18:07

Pepe Pig I think this lady has been treated very badly indeed, by a serial Adulterer who should be hanging his head in shame ! Maybe one day (when will that be I wonder!) men might treat women with some respect and decency .She is a lady who fell for a married man ,who led her to believe they might have a future ,all the while going behind her back and leading her on .Now she is left with the pain of a broken relationship and the aftermath of a painful abortion.I am glad she told this mans wife ,if said wife had an ounce of self respect she would kick him out!She is every inch the victim here I feel

dottiedodah · 02/10/2019 18:08

Storm the princess ,the victim I mean (not his wife)

itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted · 02/10/2019 18:11

To find out if anyone else has felt the way we do etc

No because most of us have more self respect, class and morals

Post answered

LFLM1 · 02/10/2019 18:13

You've clearly been through the mill and I hope you learn and heal from this but I have to ask, why do you think you deserved his honesty? You were being dishonest by sleeping with a married man. Did you really believe he wasn't sleeping with his wife? That's what all married men who have affairs say. I find it odd that you were jealous of his OW but not of his wife. He's shared more with his wife than either of you. Affairs always end in pain, you've been stung but it's his wife and children I really feel sorry for.

Stormtheprincess · 02/10/2019 18:15

Newme2019

Twins are actually more common in older women. I was 41 when I got pregnant. I have 2 friends who are expecting babies at 42 just now. One is her first. The other is her third.

It’s none of your business whether or not contraception was being used or what type.

OP posts:
Stormtheprincess · 02/10/2019 18:16

LFLM1

Again another person who just assumes. Did I say I wasn’t jealous of his wife?

When you feel like you love someone and want to be with them of course you will be jealous if that person isn’t you regardless of who it is.

Yes I was jealous of his wife but I knew he had a wife.

OP posts:
PepePig · 02/10/2019 18:21

Of course he wasn't being honest with you. You are just another notch in his bed post, afterall.

WizzyWanta · 02/10/2019 18:21

I think you are suffering with disenfranchised grief, which is understandable considering your circumstances.
Read up about it, forgive yourself, then develop your boundaries and self-worth.
Don't let this man take anything more from you!
Wishing you well