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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

Honest opinions on a messy life please

60 replies

Mermaid92 · 02/01/2021 21:51

Hi everyone,

This is a bit of a last resort for me as I feel I am at breaking point and not quite sure if I am being completely unreasonable.
I have worked with a man for three years, same department, albeit in different offices and actually in different countries, around 2 hr drive away from each other. Weve always spoken on a daily basis at work within these 3 years regarding work matters. I had a couple of months off work and returned december 2019 after a family trauma, this man reached out to me on skype to ask how I was and I confided in him. We grew a close friendship via skype and work calls, we then began speaking outside of work in our personal time. I was in a 4 year relationship and living with my partner at the time and planning for children. This man in work was in a 8 year relationship with a baby of only a few months old.
Due to the pandemic we began working from home, we began contacting each other outside work all day every day and grew a great bond and friendship. I began falling for him. I spoke to my partner at the time and explained how i was feeling about the other man, he moved out for a few days and wanted me to make a decision.
The man from work called me, said how he loved me, that him and his current partner were living different lives, that he would give me kids, and a future. I left my boyfriend and have since spent lockdown alone and struggled with this. Four months later the other man told his partner he had met someone else and that he was leaving. He moved out and I had a few weeks where he gave me a relationship until he said he was going to go back to his ex and work things out for the sake of his child.
He moved back in, continued to talk to me, said he loved me but he was struggling to leave his child. Months later he told his partner he was still in contact with me, he carried on living there and told me they were going to a counselling session to sort how they proceed in regards to co parenting and making decisions on their house. Bearing in mind we had not met up face to face yet. A few days later i get messages from his partner, calling me a homewrecker, saying she will contact my work and let them know, that he told her i pursued him and seduced him, that he told her he wanted the counselling so they could work things out. He told me this was a lie, that she was trying to break us, that we should stick together. I took the hammering from her and said nothing back. The day later he blocked me on everything as she said she would not let him have contact with their child unless he cut me off. He unblocked me later that night and said he had moved out, we carried on our relationship, we met up, we slept together. He stayed the night at his exes 3 nights a week he said to help eith their one year old. His childs mum had no idea we were still in contact. Months later his babys mum was under the impression they were getting back together due to him spending nights there, spending evenings with her while child is in bed and ignoring me, she thought they were working things out. A few weeks ago we met up, he told me he was cutting me off and going back to her, he said he loves me, he still wants me but he is going back for their childs sake. I was broken, i got signed off work with depression, i lost two stone. I really struggled that i had made sacrifices for him, put my dreams on hold, for him to hurt me. The day later he told me he couldnt leave me. He told babys mum everything, that he wasnt going back there, he had been meeting me and having a physical relationship with me etc. He spent christmas without his child as baby mum denied access. He told me once she is calm he would start sorting the future, in reg to access to child, housing situation ect.
Since then he has started once again spending two nights a week staying at his exes house. Once baby is asleep he has food with babys mum ect and ignored my messages as he said he doesnt want to be disrespectful towards her and hurt her even more. They have not spoken about the future, about anything that has happened this past year. Are just ignoring it and carrying on with nights over there again? He reassures me that this wont be forever, that he is only there for the child, not to fix the relationship.

Am i wasting my time here? It has been a year and I love this man deeply but feel he is being disrespectful towards both me and babys mum. Help please.

OP posts:
Niceeyes · 02/01/2021 21:58

This guy sounds like a total narcissist, stay well away from him. He wants his cake and eat it. You should not have entertained a man with a partner let alone a child only a few months old, it says a lot about his character if he can just leave his child at the top of a hat. His ex is stupid to take him back too. You need a new relationship with someone who doesn’t prey on women’s vulnerability. Block him from your phone...social media etc

Prisonbreak · 02/01/2021 21:58

Sometimes we need the harsh truth...
you need to get a grip

Lemonpiano · 02/01/2021 21:59

Have you posted about this before? It feels sadly familiar.

It almost sounds like he groomed you by targeting you when you were extremely vulnerable and using your trauma to bond you to him. I'm not sure what there is to love about someone who's treated so many people so badly, other than that he inserted himself into your life when you were vulnerable.

Regardless, he's clearly no good for you and I think you need to break ties with him for your own wellbeing.

category12 · 02/01/2021 22:00

He's sleeping with you both, you realise that, don't you?

He's having a dramatic time going between you both and you need to step out of the triangle. He's not worth it.

SimplyRadishing · 02/01/2021 22:02

Block block block and run fast and far

Wanderlusto · 02/01/2021 22:02

Jeez op I couldn't finish this.
You are taking about narcissistic triangulation. Which is when a narcissist plays two women off against eachother.

Tbh though, he had a partner and young baby and you should feel ashamed of yourself for carrying on with him. If it wasn't you though,I'm sure it would have been someone else. But give your head a wobble. He only loves himself.

coffeeandjuice · 02/01/2021 22:12

Do you really want to be with someone like this long term?? New year, new man.

Mermaid92 · 02/01/2021 22:21

Thanks everyone for their comments. I understand i will get backlash for this, i am fully aware i should have never got involved. I was in over my head and completely attached before i even stopped to think about it. He says the issue is not about me or babys mum but the fact that he cant bare limited time with his child and that he really struggles with this. He said i need to give him time to sort things on his end. That lockdown makes it harder to sort future plans. I know they have not had a sexual relationship for quite some time and i know he sleeps in the spare room when he is there, she confirmed this to me when she contacted me. Am i being unreasonable to think its wrong for him to carry on spending nights there?

OP posts:
Wanderlusto · 02/01/2021 22:26

Did you meet her in person op?
Otherwise I would assume it was him pretending to be her.

OP you dont owe him anything. This isn't working for you and is causing you nothing but heartache.

I mean you had to sign off work with depression ffs. There is one thing that no man on this earth is worth - your sanity.

Choose you.

Aquamarine1029 · 02/01/2021 22:32

I'm sorry op, but you are being the maker of your own misery. This man is a liar and a complete mind fuck. Raise your standards and block him out of your life.

Mermaid92 · 02/01/2021 22:39

I didnt meet her in person, but it was through social media and also phone call. His family know about me. He says she knows he is still in contact with me. That he has asked to have baby overnight at his parents where he is currently staying but she says no. She has also threatened his access to baby on numerous occasions.

OP posts:
Skyla2005 · 02/01/2021 22:41

You will always be the loser here. If he was going to be with you he would have done it by now. Get some self respect and have nothing more to do with him. His played you like a fiddle. Rebuild your life because you would never have been truly happy with him. His a liar and a cheat and a year down the line he would have cheated on you too because that’s who he is. He did it to the mother of his baby. He wouldn’t think twice about cheating on you once the boredom of daily life set in

SwirlyCinnamonBun · 02/01/2021 22:42

@Mermaid92

It is unreasonable. Both he and his child deserve to have time together, including being there for bedtime and breakfast.

You should think about how hard the back and fourth of that will be on you. This doesn't seem like a sustainable situation, but it's hard to turn your back on a situation when feelings are involved.

Maybe you need to go 'no contact' with him for awhile to step outside the box so to speak and think about what kind of relationship you want generally in life.

Mermaid92 · 02/01/2021 22:47

Thank you for this. I am in a bit of a hole as I understand he wants time with baby, he wants bed times and breakfast times which is completely understandable and precious. He currently lives an hour away from baby so travelling back and forth each day on weekend is draining for him as he likes to be there when baby wakes up and to put baby to bed. The only issue i have is the fact that him and baby mum have gone back into same old routines without discussing anything? He told her full truth, she ignored him for a few days and then no discussion just back spending a few nights a week there? When he puts baby to sleep he will ignore me as he says he doesnt want to hurt baby mum even more. But i worry she will take this again as wrong impressions the same as before? Thank you

OP posts:
Wanderlusto · 02/01/2021 22:50

I dont blame her for not wanting to let him have the baby alone. Especially if she is still breast feeding. But realistically, theres no reason for him to be staying with her overnight anymore if they are split up. He is taking you for a fool and her too by the sounds of things.

And if he'd cheat on the mother of his newborn then make no mistake, he had no loyalty to you either.

FlamedToACrisp · 02/01/2021 23:04

Another one saying he is not the key to a happy future for you. Seriously - splitting up with him is a really, really good idea.

FlamedToACrisp · 02/01/2021 23:05

Why is it all about what HE wants, and why is he happy to hurt YOU, rather than hurt the baby's mum?

prawncocktailpringles · 02/01/2021 23:06

Dump him.

MushMonster · 02/01/2021 23:15

He will never change OP.
He is hurting you and his baby's mum.
You have to leave him.
If you keep him, this will continue. You may get pregnant and have a baby. And he will get a girlfriend to share his time with you, just as he is doing now.
Block him. Move on.

Cockenspiel · 02/01/2021 23:29

For gods sake OP, wake up!!

Know that whatever you have accepted treatment wise thus far is what you’ve got to look forward to..

You don’t need to sleepwalk into further disaster with this utter douchebag.

Audreyseyebrows · 02/01/2021 23:33

Stop letting him treat you all like this!
Stop being a fool!

Werkwerkwerkwerkwerk · 02/01/2021 23:38

I don't think you have children from your posts so far.
The vulnerability involved in having a child, as a woman; I don't think you fully grasp that until it happens. But the pain this will have caused his partner... If you were to fall pregnant by him, make no mistake, he will do the same to you.
This was a wake up call, that your partner wasn't the one for you. But stop playing the pick me dance- doesn't it repulse you to think how smug he must be feeling. These men don't think you're star-crossed lovers, or that you are incredibly special. They just grab on to the first one that will accept their BS (as most women won't), as they are narcissists, and need to cheat to feel special.

Mermaid92 · 02/01/2021 23:41

Thanks for all your comments guys.
Trust me i have had all of these thoughts in my head for quite some time. Im finding it difficult to leave when i gave up a healthy relationship to be with him, where a year ago i was so looking forward to trying for kids of my own and i feel ive throen my dreams away for him. My fault, I know. Also difficult as I work with him and will still have to speak to him in work every day. I have lived alone through lockdown for the past 8 months and he is the person that has been there for me all day every day when I have been struggling. I know ironic since I struggle because of his ways also. We are currently in lockdown and in different countries so unable to see each other anytime soon. He has done wrong but he's a wonderful dad and struggles a lot having less contact with baby. He was with babys mum for 10 years and has not done this before, confirmed by her. He says he stays over to help baby mum as she is working part time and also has baby who is now 2. He says he stays to do his part as he already feels like a failed father for leaving the relationship. He says he doesnt want baby mum to burn out and struggle through lockdown. He said he wont talk to me while hes there as he doesnt want to cause further conflict with baby mum and to cause more arguing in front if baby. Not sure if i should be understanding here or if im being a complete fool for considering staying.

OP posts:
Cantpickausername5 · 02/01/2021 23:43

How long does he plan to not tell his partner that he is a relationship with you? Another year, when baby's at school, at college? Or after a whole year have ye not talked about this? Just sitting around at home hoping for a man who cheated on his partner with a new born baby. I mean that's really really sad. You can get an absolute definite answer though, give him an ultimatum, tell him has till this date and if his not told her and started a proper official relationship with you or your done and actually mean it. And I'm talking weeks here, not another wasted year.

Bet anything he won't, because not one of us believes his leaving her and I even think you know he has no intention as otherwise you would have done it by now. Your intentionally living in this fantasy.

fastwigglylines · 02/01/2021 23:52

You are being a complete fool. There is no future in this. Walk away.

Plus, there's a child involved. Yes, you are being a homewrecker. Please start recognising the baby as an actual human being not just an inconvenience and leave her/his parents alone to sort their shit out.