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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

Husband grieving for OW

999 replies

Filly2011 · 14/02/2020 21:25

Anyone had experience of this?
Husband had 14 month affair with woman at work. Told me about it when she finally dumped him in favour of her husband. DH says he wants to keep marriage and willing to work at it. After months of counselling he now admits he is very upset as still loves her and knows he’s lost her. I feel very cut up by this. Can’t stop thinking about it.

OP posts:
Pinkbonbon · 21/02/2020 08:57

Oh how very dare you op. How incondiderate of you not tolerating being treated like a second choice. Poor show and bad form.

Sod him! He has some serious issues.
Onwards and upwards!

Filly2011 · 21/02/2020 09:00

It has been several months since the affair bomb first dropped. I should be over it by now. Apparently.
Also I am a bully and use him as emotional punch bag. My bad.

OP posts:
FraglesRock · 21/02/2020 09:04

What a wanker. You deserve so much better.

You were expected to gratefully receive him back, and say how sad if was that she/that bitch didn't love him anymore.
Any less than pandering to his every need was never going to be enough.
Take back control, get to a great solicitor, I'd put the house on the marker, you can rent until you know what you want. Don't let him drive this.

kcw1986 · 21/02/2020 09:08

Cut all contact I don’t know why your still talking to him.

He doesn’t want to be with you so cut him off communicate through solicitors and start your new life.

Keep up with your counselling though it will help

SchadenfreudePersonified · 21/02/2020 09:59

Cut all contact I don’t know why your still talking to him.

Same here- but actually I think his comments are a good sign. He knows you are being serious about moving on, and he's jumping before he''s pushed.

Now, even to himself, he doesn't have to say "My wife dumped me", he can say "I did my best to heal our broken marriage for the sake of our (adult) children, but it was obvious that she (still) just wanted a relationship where she could abuse me. I'd had 40 years of it. No more! I walked away."

Text back.

"Yeah, yeah."

And block!

Jaichangecentfoisdenom · 21/02/2020 10:00

Sorry to say this about someone you've been married to and loved for so long, @Filly2011, but he's a complete and utter prat. For your own sake, please just start divorce proceedings and stop trying to make it work his way, because it never will, as he's proved by his recent remarks and behaviour, making it all about him and expecting you to be grateful to have him back, however nasty he is to you.

Double3xposure · 21/02/2020 10:12

How do you feel @Filly2011? I don’t know if I’d be shocked, angry or devastated.

I suspect I might be secretly relieved to have an end to the limbo.

SeaEagleFeather · 21/02/2020 10:16

I'm so sorry for even more hurt that he's inflicted, filly.

Lean on your friends and family, lovely.

Filly2011 · 21/02/2020 10:22

@double3xposure I feel pretty awful thanks for asking.
I feel devastated (end of marriage), guilty (must have contributed in some ways), sad (wasted most of adult life), and really uncomfortable (don’t like parting with bad feeling as makes me feel like I should be apologising).
It’s terrible to be called a bully for kicking off about the deception. I said to dh ‘how do you think other women would react to this?’. He just sighs exaggeratedly now to signal how exasperated he is by my attitude.

OP posts:
UYScuti · 21/02/2020 10:25

He doesn't trust me to ever love him
Of course he is looking for a response along the lines of 'oh but of course I will love you I will try so hard' etc
how about you respond 'yep you're totally right mate, good luck finding your princess, now fuck off'

Filly2011 · 21/02/2020 10:25

I suspect he has a therapist who is telling him he’s being bullied and that I should be over it by now (ie mad bitch).

OP posts:
UYScuti · 21/02/2020 10:26

It's terrible to be called a bully
But the person calling you a bully is a deluded whiny bullshiting man child so nothing that he says is of any consequence

UYScuti · 21/02/2020 10:27

Then you need to get a therapist or invent a therapist who tells you not to listen to a word he says or to cut him out of your life completely or whatever is most convenient for you
He's just playing stupid games with you

kcw1986 · 21/02/2020 10:28

OP am sorry but someone needs to give you a good shake.

STOP ACTING LIKE A DOORMAT.

HE IS THE BULLY.

Throughout all this you've reacted to what he has wanted, you need to get a grip of the situation and protect yourself because he is not going to be nice through the divorce.

Read your thread back because I am absolutely astounded that you still wanted to save your marriage after everything he has done, where is your self respect, he made a fool of you and doesn't give a fuck.

GET ANGRY FOR FUCKS SAKE.

Filly2011 · 21/02/2020 10:29

He’s not all emoting and whiny now though. He’s sort of hard and tough and rolling his eyes at anything I might say.

OP posts:
Mix56 · 21/02/2020 10:29

Sorry Filly, rejection hurts, but accepting his whining & deflection of any wrong doing would literally destroy you.
He has decided it's over. you were in the throes of refusing the miserable left overs. Rightly not accepting it was your fault. Leave him to wallow & be depressed, he chose it.

Filly2011 · 21/02/2020 10:30

I’ve been angry it doesn’t get me anywhere.

OP posts:
nacher · 21/02/2020 10:31

He sounds totally and utterly ridiculous. Flowers for you OP.

kcw1986 · 21/02/2020 10:32

Well neither does continually talking to him and bowing down to his every demand no wonder he is treating you like this he probably thinks he can click his fingers and you'll come running.

Show him he wrong

Mix56 · 21/02/2020 10:33

crossed posts, so now he has decided it is all your fault & says its over, it will probably get very nasty fast while he safeguards his money.
Looking after number one, after all, is his persona
Beware, there is another whole person about to be leashed

Thingsdogetbetter · 21/02/2020 10:41

God, he really thinks he's the centre of the universe doesn't he. He's so up his own deluded arse he can't actually conceive that you, as a bit part actor in this film of his life, weren't begging for him back with open and forgiving arms. All the while agreeing that the ow was amazing to listen and care about his self indulgent ramblings because how could she not, with him being so fucking incredible and interesting!

Exasperated by YOUR attitude? Ffs. The fucking cheek of him. I really hope the scales are being lifted from your eyes. Your stbx (thank god!) has the emotional maturity of a 2 year old. He's throwing a tantrum because you won't treat him like the king he thinks he is. On top of rejection from the other woman (ha!) his whole self perception of being king is crumbling and he was expecting you to step up with tissues and unconditional support and put him back on the pedestal he thinks he deserves.

I, for one, hope you keep up your 'attitude' all the way to divorce court so you can swan off into the sunset, head held high, while he wallows in the realisation that he's going to grow old alone on his self made pedestal wondering why no one else thinks he's as amazing as he does.

Fuck him OP. Fuck him all the way by getting a SHL and getting your life back. A life where you're not a support actor in his vanity film.

Double3xposure · 21/02/2020 10:50

I’ve been angry it doesn’t get me anywhere

Actually I don’t think you sound angry enough. I think you sound sad and defeated, which is understandable.

And confused by all the gas lighting. One minute he was heart broken and devastated, a helpless victim of OW who rejected him and bullying DW who won’t forgive him and get over everything instantly.

Next minute he’s a hard bastard who acts like you are a nutter for having feelings.

Your own opinion of yourself, who you are, what you have done, is totally determined by his words. You have lost all sense of yourself.

Which is one of the things that happens when you are in an emotionally abusive relationship.

Please PLEASE get yourself a decent counsellor NOW. And get legal advice.

I’m sorry to say this and I hope it doesnt upset you more. But I suspect that OWs husband has kicked her out, so now shes told your husband that she has left and wants to be with him.

That’s why your husband is blaming you, he and OW are going to move in together and they both want to look like the victims to everyone else.

DBML · 21/02/2020 11:02

It seems to me, that your husband is punishing you. He changes tact so as to cause maximum pain. He has a lot of hate in him and it’s causing his behaviour to be extremely ugly.

I don’t like saying it, but you aren’t the person he wants to be with. He’s never been realistic about trying to save this marriage. He doesn’t want to.

It’s likely the ow told him to ‘go back to your wife, I can’t leave my husband.’ But he’s wallowing in self pity. Instead of seeing the ow as a woman with few morals and a glimmer in her eye over their business associations...he is viewing her as self sacrificing. She has given him up (her true love) for both her family and yours. Hence, she is the good person - and you’re not even the slightest bit grateful for this huge sacrifice.

You never had a chance of getting your relationship back on track and I fear if you had, he would have made your life a misery.

It’s going to be very hard for a while. Make sure you surround yourself with love. Family, friends, pets. Keep yourself occupied. Seek professional support. See your gp. Realise that this isn’t about how good you are or something you should feel guilt over. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve been you. And that should have been good enough. It’s him with the issues.

The only way you can deal with him now, is to ignore. Anything he says is designed to cause pain, so try not to engage. Get your affairs in order.

You do not deserve this. Nobody does. Stay strong and know, many have got through this before you and many more will have to go through this in the future. You aren’t alone and you will be happy.

Kit19 · 21/02/2020 11:28

fucking hell he really IS the centre of his own universe isnt he?

what @DBML said is absolutely right, he is punishing you for the OW not wanting him and it's horrible to see, Im so sorry. The "there would ahve been a chance if you hadnt been so meeannnn" is right out of The Script as well. he takes responsinility for absolutely nothing. What a cunt he is

i know this is agony but honestly it is for the best. Now you definitely know for sure and you can start to focus on you. Do not engage with him anymore than is absolutely essential and I mean essential. You must talk to a solicitor

we're all here whenever you need to rage or vent and lots of people here have been though this and come out the other sude. You will too lovey xxx

Hepsibar · 21/02/2020 11:30

Go on give him something else to "grieve" over and dump him ... but obv plan it properly making sure you know info of important bank accounts and so forth.

What a pathetic piece of doggy doo doo he is.