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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

This is unforgivable, right?

306 replies

HeidiSchmeidi · 04/03/2021 19:00

I think this is probably unforgivable but just want to run it by an objective audience. This happened a year ago and my ex is trying to get me to take him back (he has been trying for a year) and I wanted to see if I am crazy for even considering it.

My boyfriend and I were long distance at the time, and I hadn't seen him in three months. His ex started working with him. She is a woman (colleague from another office) who he had a brief relationship with (a few months) and he ended it because she was in love with him and wanted more and he didn't return her feelings.

When she arrived though, she relentlessly chased after him. To the point of propositioning him for sex and telling him if he did it she would never tell me and so on. She started sending him messages and so on about how she still loved him and didn't he miss her (he did tell her to stop and eventually blocked her) but it was quite blatant she was trying to steal my man.

In his defense he did tell her to please leave him alone because he was in a relationship (she didn't respect this request) and he was also completely honest and told me everything at the time and shared any texts with me so I was in the loop.

At the time, pre-pandemic, there were a lot of boozy work nights out almost every weekend, and I know my boyfriend very well and he is one of those people who gets absolutely blotto and does and says crazy things (loves everyone), so I was very uncomfortable with him getting wasted drunk if she was around. Not so much because I thought he would sleep with her, but just because I thought a conversation would start that he would not be in control of and so on.

So we agreed he wouldn't go to events which she was at, or if he did that he'd stay sober. Which he did for three months. Then one day there was an event she wasn't meant to be at, but she showed up to and he was already completely wasted when she got there. He was drunk at this point with no boundaries so he didn't think to leave.

She started hitting on him quite blatantly, and he ended up talking to her for a while. I happened to call him, and he told me where he was and that he'd chatted to her and in his drunk state he didn't see a problem at all with it. He actually got quite belligerent with me "I am an adult I think I can make a judgement".

I was home alone, I'd had a really stressful day and I felt very threatened by how persistently this woman was trying to steal my man and so I asked him to come home and call me. So he did and left five minutes later (it was about 9.30pm). He had been drinking all day on some corporate boat trip and he was absolutely wasted.

We never argued much, but I ended up absolutely raging at him, shouting, and told him I wanted to break up with him. I then blocked him on everything. This might seem an over-reaction, but at the time we were under a lot of strain being separated, and I felt he wasn't doing enough to get this woman to stop chasing after him (maybe his ego enjoyed it a bit) and it was making me feel really uncomfortable.

I'd stress we never had ANY problems with trust before (together two years) but this woman was blatantly gunning for him in the most obvious way and I was worried after so many months apart and her constantly trying to get him alone that something might happen everyone would regret.

Anyway, I did my dumping tantrum, and he (already wasted) decided to go back to the party and carry on drinking because he was upset and said he was on a self-destruct mission. She got him talking, he told her we had split up and cut a long story short he went back to her place and slept with her.

The next day he woke up really horrified but he believed we were genuinely split up so he went home. Later that day I called him to try and patch up our fight and sort things out and he confessed what had happened.

I was absolutely devastated, and told him I could never forgive him. He cried for weeks, tried everything he could to win me back but I just could not get past it.

Here we are over a year later and he is still trying to win me back, I am the love of his life and so on, it was a drunken mistake he made when he felt I'd dumped him.

Any thoughts on this? We do still love each other, but although my behavior was bad on that night I couldn't figure out why a few hours after our breakup he went and had sex with the one woman who had been making me feel unsafe for so long.

Obviously I;ve been very uncomfortable

OP posts:
ThePontiacBandit · 04/03/2021 19:17

You didn’t trust him before this happened. Nothing has changed. Tell him once and for all it’s over and block him. If he tries on blocked numbers or a different number change your phone number.

AnneLovesGilbert · 04/03/2021 19:18

No one can steal anyone else. She was trying it on, he let it go on for waaaaay too long and then he chose, HE CHOSE, to have sex with her. You knew something was up and you were right. Your argument didn’t make him stick his penis in her. She didn’t make him do it. Being drink didn’t make him do it.

If you were the love of his life and he was upset you’d tantrum dumped him he’d have gone home, had a cry and gone to bed.

There is absolutely no justification for what he did.

Honestly, you’ve just wasted a year listening to his self indulgent bull shit. You could have drawn a line and found someone much better in that time.

He revelled in her flirting, possibly tried to make you jealous she was so into him, and he’s wallowing in self pity that he made a stupid mistake.

Why are you still in contact and entertaining this?

TheCatWithTheFluffyTail · 04/03/2021 19:18

@HeidiSchmeidi

When he was trying to win me back a few weeks after, he volunteered the Whatsapp screenshots of his conversation with the woman the regarding the night in question. She gave her story which was that he came back, told her we had split up, they danced, got on the bus together, went back to hers and had sex. She was saying she loved him and so on, and he was saying he was just extremely drunk and upset and it should never have happened and he apologised.

So I don't think the motivation was actually wanting to be with her or anything. He doesn't want a relationship with her and she's not very attractive so I don't think it's a desperate sexual desire or anything.

Even after all this time, I can't wrap my head around doing that just for sex. Knowing that when I found out I would never talk to him again!!! It never made sense at all to me, and he has just consistently blamed thinking I had dumped him and wanting to self destruct.

She is obviously good enough and attractive enough that your relationship couldn’t get past it. Maybe she is fantastic in bed or perhaps just there. None of the reasons are her fault as all the blame here is on him.

I’m baffled that a year on you still sound like a lovesick teenager over this. Wouldn’t you rather be with someone who isn’t away for three months at a time, doesn’t have a drinking problem and you trust? All these things are to do with him, not her. The issue that broke down your relationship was him not her.

Botherfreedays · 04/03/2021 19:19

If you enjoy drama then crack on and get back with him. The fact you've started this thread sort of implies you do. I'm not judging! If you thrive on it, go for it because it sounds as though the pair of you will keep the adrenaline going.

JerichoGirl · 04/03/2021 19:19

@HeidiSchmeidi

I don't know why people are saying I blame her. I obviously blame him because I ended the relationship :( I am just pointing out that this woman was relentless, to give context to how anxious I was at the time.
That's blaming right there. You don't know that she was "relentless", that's only what he's told you. I doubt it's an accurate account. Much more likely that he lapped up and encouraged her attentions, then fed you what you wanted to hear. Seems to have worked nicely for him.
TheCatWithTheFluffyTail · 04/03/2021 19:20

@HeidiSchmeidi

I don't know why people are saying I blame her. I obviously blame him because I ended the relationship :( I am just pointing out that this woman was relentless, to give context to how anxious I was at the time.
If she was relentless (which I don’t believe) he could have stopped her straightaway. He chose not to because he wanted the ego boost or her as a back up (who knows) but she was only around him because he wanted her to be.
beelzeboob · 04/03/2021 19:20

So what would be an acceptable amount of time between dumping and having sex with someone else? I know that the same evening is far from ideal, and I would be upset about it, but want to guage what you would have found acceptable? (Genuine question not goady)

PawPawNoodle · 04/03/2021 19:21

Honestly I think you were completely obsessive about this woman, controlling and overbearing despite him doing what he could to distance himself from her, and then you dumped him after he promptly came home from a work function as per your demand.

He probably had sex with her as a big 'fuck you' to you while really drunk, and I'm not sure I blame him. He did everything you wanted and it wasn't enough.

thinkfast · 04/03/2021 19:22

It doesn't matter what other people think OP. Based on your OP at the point he slept with her he was single. It sounds like you broke up with him because you were worried he'd sleep with her and he proved you right.

Either you want to get back with him, or you don't. If you want to get back with him you will have to be able to forgive him and feel confident this wouldn't happen again. If you can't forgive the relationship would be toxic.

Blanca87 · 04/03/2021 19:22

If he was that pissed surely he would struggle to get his floppy mushroom ready for action? I think he is talking shite and using drink as an excuse.

User1511 · 04/03/2021 19:22

No, that’s not good enough. I mean you completely overreacted at the time and you should know you can’t talk sensibly with someone who is drunk. But it’s a bullshit excuse.

If you do decide to get back with him, I think your insecurity over him drinking will cause problems because you’ll no doubt require him to move? Leave his job?

okokok000 · 04/03/2021 19:22

To be frank you know he is a liability when drunk. He was wasted. Even if you didn't know she was there and you hadn't argued he probably would have slept with her anyway.

He sounds like a liability. Him trying to pin the blame on you for having boundaries and respect for yourself is frankly pathetic (him, not you).

goldielockdown2 · 04/03/2021 19:22

Either you're playing his role down or he has got into your head and got you almost where he wants you, regarding this woman.
What it boils down to is: he had an involvement with this woman, your gut instinct was right and he slept with her.
All this focus on her gunning for him, not leaving him alone, getting her claws in etc really is nonsense.

DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult · 04/03/2021 19:23

She was attractive anough for him to be in a relationship with her for a few months.

It sounds like you're flattered by all the attention, and him wanting to win you back. The effort will stop if he does get back with you.

Relationships shouldn't be this dramatic, lack of trust, showing messages, drunken nights out where he tells everyone he loves them, break ups, blocking, shagging other people.... why would you invite that into your life again?

CornishTiger · 04/03/2021 19:24

A decent drunk man who has just been dumped by someone he loves and cares about does not then deal with it by sleeping with anyone.

He gets sober, deals with the breakup , tries to repair things and talk it through and takes time out.

If he’s getting that drunk he claims he has no sense of responsibility and boundaries then he’s weak and shouldn’t be drinking either.

Hailtomyteeth · 04/03/2021 19:27

'Steal my man'? People don't own each other. He's a cheat and you seem to have behaved sensibly even though the long narrative was tedious to read. Don't have him back.

Whether she is 'attractive' or not is irrelevant. I am unattractive but men come on to me all the time. Especially married ones. I'm just obviously single.

UnwantedOpinionBelow · 04/03/2021 19:27

To be fair you shouldn't dump someone unless you mean it. He was single so did nothing wrong.

OhCaptain · 04/03/2021 19:28

“Steal my man” 🤮🤮🤮

Seriously? How old are you?

The poor ickle man got chased by the big bad woman? He wanted to fuck her so he did. End of story.

HeidiSchmeidi · 04/03/2021 19:29

I can see most people think I made the right choice ending it. A few think I completely over-reacted.

I know what went on back at the time because when he told me what was going on I asked to see screenshots and so on. It isn't me "blaming", I'm just giving the facts as I saw them. She was "relentless" from the evidence I saw, which was why I was so worried at the time. I'm not a jealous person, but I found her messaging and behaviors quite threatening.

He did tell her (several times) not to contact him but it was difficult to block her on a work phone. Every weekend when she had a drink, several messages, photos of herself etc. Begging him to meet her. Going on about how wonderful what they had was and didn't he miss her. Saying she had seen us together and I looked "fake" and that there was no real love there. It was actually creepy and quite a horrible experience.

I wasn't worried about him having sex with her (I didn't think in a million years he would!!!), I was worried that he would be drunk and think "of she's not that bad" and have a chat with her that would then result in more insecurity and anxiety.

That said, I do agree though that he must have been enjoying it because otherwise he could have taken more forceful action to stop it and he certainly wouldn't have ever slept with her.

OP posts:
HeidiSchmeidi · 04/03/2021 19:31

@beelzeboob it isn't necessarily about the time after the breakup, it was that he was wasted. I'd expect him to at least have the good sense to go to sleep and deal with the situation sober the next day rather than go out immediately to find comfort

OP posts:
OhCaptain · 04/03/2021 19:31

He doesn't want a relationship with her and she's not very attractive so I don't think it's a desperate sexual desire or anything.

As for this! She was attractive enough for him to shag and throw away his relationship with you so...🤷🏻‍♀️

This narrative is so gross and does a disservice to you and her. Women aren’t to blame for the actions of men.

Notworking123 · 04/03/2021 19:32

I'm a total dickhead, especially when drunk, and I very much empathise with your ex. If I'd been chased for months and been completely honest at all times, shared WhatsApp convos, told my partner when the ex arrived unexpectedly at a party, told them what I'd said and then even left the sodding party early at my ex's request and then got dumped for my efforts... Yeah I'd be likely to go back to the party, feel like I'd been controlled, have a huge pity party, get wasted and get laid. It's not wise and it's not nice, but it is understandable.

LoudestCat14 · 04/03/2021 19:33

He knew how upset you were about her, so the first thing he did after you split up was to sleep with her. That tells you everything you need to know about him and I suspect the reason she was obsessed was because he had been keep her in reserve all along. I'd make a clean break and find someone who doesn't toy with women.

letsmakethishappen · 04/03/2021 19:34

Don’t take him back

AnyFucker · 04/03/2021 19:34

Still engaging with a weak willed alcoholic doesn’t seem like the best idea

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