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

My husband had an affair with my friend years ago. Now she is shagging my brother in law.

123 replies

peoniesenvy · 13/10/2020 22:09

AIBU? I was suffering from post natal depression and my husband had an affair with my friend for 6 months or so about 14 years ago. She spent the following 6 months sending me horrible texts or calling me when she was drunk to tell me how/ when/in what position they had sex. She came in to where I worked a couple of times and left me in floods of tears. Since then she has always been combative if I see her in public. My husband's eldest brother has always been really close to us. When he and his wife split up we often looked after his girls, I really thought we were good friends as well as family. I feel utterly betrayed - he is having a relationship with that woman. He was really strange for a few weeks and I joked that he must have a fancy woman and then he 'fessed up. He said that he understood how I felt and that he would never invite her to any family gatherings. This has turned out to be complete bollocks- I just don't get invited to any family events anymore - she is more than welcome. My husband since the affair has tried really hard to make amends and we are generally pretty good now but I feel that he should acknowledge how shit this situation makes me feel. I feel like I am being punished- I have lost my BIL and nieces to this whore and my husband can't see why I am upset. I'm trying really hard to believe in karma but it just feels like being a decent human just gets you shat on from a great height.

OP posts:
30mph · 14/10/2020 09:26

How dare your husband not have your back here. It must feel like he is betraying you all over again. And his family - what on earth are they thinking? I'd be walking away from the whole sorry shower.

GilbertMarkham · 14/10/2020 09:27

Oh and one oftens happens when the new mum has next to no support, when the dad isn't pulling his weight ... Was that the case too?

burglarbettybaby · 14/10/2020 09:29

I would get away from the lot of them and hold ny head up high. Your self esteem must be in shreads with it all.

GilbertMarkham · 14/10/2020 09:30

*Pnd often happens

IJustWantSomeBees · 14/10/2020 09:33

Your husband and his family all sound disgusting. The issue here is not the woman, it is the fact that they are prioritising her over you in such a shameless manner.

frumpety · 14/10/2020 09:46

When you say you don't get invited to family events anymore , does DH and does he go without you ?

HandsFaceSpace · 14/10/2020 09:46

Really sorry to hear this. I've been at "those" family gatherings with "her".

Keep posting here and getting support because this stuff gets in your head and grinds you down and then your emotions go haywire.

Billben · 14/10/2020 09:49

@frumpety

When you say you don't get invited to family events anymore , does DH and does he go without you ?
I better hope not. That really would be the last straw for me.
Coffeeandaride · 14/10/2020 09:58

I’d never forgive her. I’d never want her in the same room as me.
I think the in-laws are being awful about this, do you get with them normally? If DH has your back/on same page, I’d distance myself from them.

HappydaysArehere · 14/10/2020 10:00

You have been betrayed big time by your so called “friend”, your husband, your brother in law and his family. Keep well away from that family and her.

Mix56 · 14/10/2020 10:01

I wonder if the IL have a very watered down version of the affair.
Is she jealous of you ? She sounds like she is stalking & wants to live the same life as you.
I wouldn't stand for this now, you are stronger, no longer have PND, you can say to your H, that this is not how you intend to pursue your life,
being excluded from family events due to this sick scenario.
Either he backs you up or he can leave. He doesn't want to face his brother, he doesn't want to make a stand with his parents. You are not just someone who does his domestic chores, you are a person who is owed respect, love & support.
Little weak dick

dooratheexplorer · 14/10/2020 10:02

This sounds like a Jeremy Kyle Show!

You clearly aspire to have higher standards, op. Why are you still with your husband if he cheated on you and now 'doesn't understand' the situation with this woman? Perhaps now is the time to consider moving on?

TobyHouseMan · 14/10/2020 10:03

The solution here is with your husband. He needs to support you 110%. He got you into this mess. He should point blank refuse to be anywhere where this woman is and if that means kicking his brother into touch until he wakes up, so be it.

So sorry for you, it sucks. But you can maintain the moral high ground here.

FizzyGreenWater · 14/10/2020 10:05

How old is your son?

I think the choice I’d give my SH (Sleaze Hubby) would be no contact with any of the in-laws... or no contact with you.

And if he chose the latter, I’d start looking to move very far away. Maybe do that anyway, he’s got the choice to come with you or stay in the swamp of his family.

QueSera · 14/10/2020 10:10

I'm sorry that this is happening to you OP. I'm really sorry that I'm going to sound harsh, but honestly, this whole family sound toxic, especially and primarily your H. I know the affair was a long time ago, but personally, and I just speak for myself, I don't think I could get over that, a six-month affair while you were suffering; and then she treated you so badly and yet now he takes her side over yours and doesn't have your back with the family. He sounds vile OP. Sorry. I think I would have to walk away from all of them.

PullTheBricksDown · 14/10/2020 10:16

Either he confronts his family and stops you being shut out, or he goes. You shouldn't be bottom of the priority list.

NameDoesNotCompute · 14/10/2020 10:22

Im sorry op, im so angry on your behalf but id have to call it a day tbh. Hes not got your back and neither have the rest of the family. Even knowing (or do they really?) what shes done/how shes treated you. Youve given it your best but perhaps its time. Has she weeded her way in to be with “BIL” when really her end goal is your husband?? At least this way she will get to see him at family dos. Idk, id be getting my ducks in order tbh. This bad feeling/toxic is not life and not worth the head space. She sounds an utter psycho

WhatifIfeellikeacat · 14/10/2020 10:26

Don't wait for Karma. Many horrible humans live long happy lives.

Perhaps it's also time for you to move on; to think of yourself. You didn't leave you DH when he had an affair with your friend (she humiliated you, harassed and your DH knew about it) and now you have a 2nd chance to leave him as neither your DH nor his side of the family have respect for you. It's very sad but you're worth more than them! They're just lowlifes. Good luck, OPFlowers

DeliciouslyFemale · 14/10/2020 10:34

I can’t add much. I just wondered, when you say you aren’t invited, does that mean they don’t invite your husband too or does he still get to be part of the family, while you’re excluded. If he does get invited, does he go. They all sound pathetic and when this piece of trash finds another pathetic man, the family will be left with another miserable man and a Dil/sil that wants nothing to do with them. It’s going to be their lose and I could never forgive any of them for their behaviour.

Do you spend any time with them now? If so, I’d completely stop. Fuckem, if I wasn’t good enough to be included in their family functions, they’d not be good enough for me to waste my time in.

cooldarkroom · 14/10/2020 10:38

Yes, & do not help them, do their shopping, take the Dc round.

Bluntness100 · 14/10/2020 14:16

@Mittens030869

Another big difference will be that the OP's DH presumably asked for her forgiveness and they were able to get past it. The friend showed no remorse whatsoever; in fact it was the opposite, she abused the OP, gloating about the affair. Why would the OP forgive her in that scenario?
All I can say is you’re a bigger person than me, asking for forgiveness wouldn’t be enough for me, or even relevant

However I agree with the posters who said there are reasons someone would forgive their husband in this scenario.

Mittens030869 · 14/10/2020 14:42

@Bluntness100

I don't know whether I would forgive in that scenario at all, I may well not forgive them. So I'm not a bigger person at all. I was just speculating on why the OP might forgive her DH but not her ex friend.

I'm not actually convinced that she has really forgiven her DH. It sounds more to me as if her staying with him was more about surviving than forgiveness, as she was suffering from PND at the time.

user1481840227 · 14/10/2020 15:49

Another big difference will be that the OP's DH presumably asked for her forgiveness and they were able to get past it. The friend showed no remorse whatsoever; in fact it was the opposite, she abused the OP, gloating about the affair. Why would the OP forgive her in that scenario?

Maybe he asked for forgiveness...but now years later when there are still consequences for the affair what has he done to support the OP and show her that he is still sorry for the damage he caused?
He doesn't even understand why she's upset apparently!!

user1481840227 · 14/10/2020 15:56

@GilbertMarkham

Your in-laws have no morals.

If my son/brother came along with a woman who had had an affair with his married brother (while his child was a small baby to boot) and subsequently harassed his brother's wife ... I'd say

"mate, come on .. what the actual fuck are you doing? She's a woman who cheats with married men, not only that but she's cheated with your married brother. And she showed herself to be a nasty, stalker type afterward as well. Not only dud she chest with a married man but she cheated on her partner, his friend, too. She's clearly gutter trash, probably unstable and it doesn't matter if it was fourteen years ago. Time doesn't matter with things like that. There's plenty of women out there, why the fuck are you involved with one your brother has shagged, and who chested on his wife with at that?! Do you think it's fair on his wife?
Do you think she's maybe still looking to get at your brother and his wife? You could be being used on too if everything else. Any other woman would want to stay far away from him and his family but instead she's in there, shagging his brother and going to his family gatherings".

My take would be that if he wanted to date her, go right ahead, but she wouldn't be in my house. She wouldn't be at our family gatherings. The most I'd concede would be, if they're still together in a year or two, I might consider her attending.

The fact your in-laws haven't taken this stance suggests they have v low morals and boundaries.

Which perhaps partly explains why you h had such low morals and boundaries when he cheated on his depressed, new mum wife.

Clearly gutter trash...probably unstable and doesn't matter if it was 14 years ago Confused

To say the in-laws have no morals and then speak about someone like that suggests the same for you tbh!!

The reality is that the BIL is with this woman now, he clearly has feelings and wants to be with her....what exactly is the point of being completely nasty about her and act like they scum of the earth...it's not like he's going to say ah ok then I'll dump her!!

I'd just say I didn't agree with it, wish it hadn't happened, the fallout was going to be bad so he would have to understand that I couldn't invite her to anything for now (but like you said if they were still together in a year or 2 then i'd consider inviting her) but I certainly wouldn't be full on nasty about it, painting him and her as this and that and if I did act like that then it wouldn't mean I had stand up morals!!!

Maybe they did say to the BIL what the fuck are you thinking....no one here knows...he might have said sorry but I love her.....and they had no choice but to just accept it because they want to still have a relationship with him and their nieces!

greenqueensinfmom · 14/10/2020 16:06

This sounds like a horrible situation. The father of my children who is now my ex had an affair with a family friend and his family knew and covered it up. This literally drove me mad. I would find myself going over what would happen if I saw her all the time. I can not imagine family bringing this woman back into my life.
I have moved on and am now really happy,
I think looking bad, what is sad is that not only did I hate the people involved who were involved, I also hated who I was carrying all the hatred. It was eating me up!
Don't let it eat you up and drive you mad!

Swipe left for the next trending thread