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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

Just found out Dh cheated after 20 years

21 replies

Achtungbaby2 · 07/03/2021 07:13

When Dh and I first got together, he went on an 8 week lads holiday. Prior to him going he introduced me to his whole family, told me he loved me, encouraged me to contact him whilst away and we were exclusive.
When he came back he was a complete shit and I was going to leave him. The night i was going to leave he told me he couldnt live without me, you know the drill, so i stayed. Not long after he got back he had an std, he swore black and blue he didnt cheat on his holiday, i caught said std, but again being young and naive, i fell for his bullshit. He swore his ex gave it to him, so was sort of believable.
Fast forward a year i find a photo of him in bed with a women from the trip. Tears and denials ensure from his end, begging me to stay, telling me he would never do that to me and again I believed him. Looking back i was an idiot, but thats beside the point.
Fast forward a few years and everything seems ok, we continue in the relationship and move in together. Over the years i make a lot of sacrifices for then DP to my detriment. I have a whole host of self esteem issues due to childhood abuse, so my boundaries haven't always been the best.
Throughout a 10 year span, i have suspicions that Dp isnt what he seems, porn use, the usual shit behaviour women put up with (god knows why). The sex becomes pretty non existant and again i begin to think this doesnt seem right. I question wether he is seeing someone, wether he has ever cheated, he swears on Dcs 1s life, nothing has ever happened.

I stupidly marry him and life goes on.
He goes from being self employed to working for a company and starts going away for work,so has plenty of opportunity to stray.
Our second Dc is born,( heaven knows how i conceived )and after a difficult pregnancy, i find he is back to the porn use and still wont come near me. We have it out and the usual i love you, cant live without you is thrown about and i stay.
The bastard was using my old phone and due to his so called guilt, threw it away. It had years worth of photos of Dc 1, that had never been backed up. To say i was furious was an understatement.
Now to a few weeks ago, i finally decided after a 20 year relationship i had had enough of his bullshit, i am not sure i love him anymore and the intimacy is gone. I boot him out and he goes to his parents.
A week later he comes to our house and one thing leads to another and he stays the night. The next morning i ask once again has he ever cheated, not expecting him to come clean. He finally admits after 20 years he cheated when we first got together with you guessed it the girl in the photo. I am absolutely the most furious i have ever been. I cannot believe this pos could keep this lie up for 20 plus years, give me an std and be ok.
As you can imagine i have gone mental at him and things from my end beyond repair. He is now professing his undying love, swears that was the only time and wants to go to counselling. I am apparently the love of his life....
So in between being fucking furious and not trusting the prick, i am struggling to believe this was a one off,despite his proclamations it was.
He swears he was scared of losing me so could never tell me(cheating is my deal breaker) i feel like such an idiot but i go between wanting him back and wanting to never see him again. Until his revelation I was convinced our marriage was dead, now I am so confused, i dont know what to do. I just cannot believe someone could lie for that long, what the hell is wrong with him? And how the hell can i ever trust him again? Apologies for the epic post.

OP posts:
Sahm101 · 07/03/2021 07:22

I think it might be easier if you hold yourself accountable for your own choices and decisions. You saw a photo of him in bed with another woman back then, I mean what more did you need to tell you he cheated?
You made a choice to stay. Over the years the porn use got in the way of your marriage and he lied to you many times over. You made a choice to stay.
He has then admitted to cheating which you knew all along, so why are you even questioning what you need to do. You are furious but you were presented with his cheating and what he is capable of throughout the marriage. So what choices are you now going to make. I'm not saying blame yourself for his actions, just hold yourself accountable that you are making these choices. To me, he should have been gone a very long time ago. Don't you think you have given 20 long years of your life to someone who doesn't deserve it?

RebeccaCloud9 · 07/03/2021 07:24

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this shitty man.

But you knew didn't you, deep down? He gave you an std and you'd seen a photo of them in bed. Hearing it out loud must be awful, but you must have known?!

You will he so so much happier once he is out of your life. It is possible to move on.

ThatsNotTheTeaHunty · 07/03/2021 07:28

I'm sorry you're hurting.

Going by what you were saying I'm surprised you're surprised.
I mean, there was a lot of things saying he was a cheating bastard. He even came back with a souvenir.

Just live your life. He has lied to you for 20 years. I'm sure he'll manage another 20 if you take him back.

Surely you don't want a life where you are constantly questioning what someone has done. You've got the truth and go and find yourself Thanks.

Usagi12 · 07/03/2021 07:30

I'm so sorry you're going through this and I don't want to be mean at a difficult time but you made your decision to believe an obviously ridiculous lie. The evidence was there and you chose to ignore it. You need to look at why. He caught an STD and had a photo of himself in bed with another woman, why did you distrust your instincts, they were dead on. Never mind now you do know and it's time to take action. Good luck xx

Usagi12 · 07/03/2021 07:30

Why didn't you trust your instincts!

EachBleachBlairTrump · 07/03/2021 07:32

I think I could get past cheating when you were both very young and in a new relationship and he'd been in an eight week lads' holiday, when in all reality he probably didn't expect you to still be together twenty years later. In all honesty I probably wouldn't have agreed to be exclusive in those circumstances and just picked up when he got back if I hadn't met someone else in the mean time. You were very naïve when you found the photo at the time and he gave you an sti after an extended lads' holiday, I would've left right then. You chose to stay, essentially accepting what had happened and choosing not to address it. On that basis It wouldn't bother me much if for the next twenty years he'd been a warm, kind, loving equal partner, had grown up essentially, realised you were the one for the rest of his life after his trip etc.
However he treats you like shit, I would have a much much bigger issue with this ongoing behaviour than something he did twenty years ago. He showed you who he was straight away and unfortunately you turned a blind eye.

PurplePansy05 · 07/03/2021 07:37

You're angry about that one time that was obvious anyway?

I'm sorry to tell you that it looks like he's been cheating on you for 20 years I'd get another STD check, never sleep with him again (!!!) and divorce asap. Self-respect is what you really need.

Porcupineintherough · 07/03/2021 07:44

You have walked past 20 years of huge red flags blowing in the wind with this man. Why waste any more time on him? The cheating at the beginning of the relationship isnt nearly so much a problem as everything else.

ShrewYou · 07/03/2021 07:45

i finally decided after a 20 year relationship i had had enough of his bullshit, i am not sure i love him anymore and the intimacy is gone.
This is before he admitted to bed-photo woman. It's over. You don't love him. He's lied to you and you've decided already you don't want to be with him.

ShrewYou · 07/03/2021 07:47

The photo was from the trip. Did he keep shagging her when he got home?

activitythree · 07/03/2021 07:52

Until his revelation I was convinced our marriage was dead,

I can't really work out what you mean here. The 'revelation' only means your marriage is more dead. Why would finding out he cheated on you make any sort of a difference here other than to confirm the end?

And how the hell can i ever trust him again?

You can't, you never could but you ignored that sign and hoped for the best. It's not uncommon.

The thing is I can't see why you would want or need to trust him again, you had already thrown him out by the time he admitted what you both knew all along.

You say you have a bad past and issues with boundaries. Now you recognise that you can work towards putting them up. Contact only for the DC and don't waste any more of your life on this prick.

category12 · 07/03/2021 08:15

If you take him back again, you're looking at:more years of the same shit. After twenty years, are you really up for that?

Every single time you split up or come close to it, he begs and cries and professes love. My marriage was a bit like this, and it was only when I had the epiphany that I did believe him when he claimed he loved me, but actually his love wasn't worth shit. As far as he was able, he did. But that didn't make a difference to how selfish he was, nor how bad the marriage was for me.

How many more years do you want to spend on this merry-go-round?

Figgygal · 07/03/2021 08:18

I don’t understand why you let him back in your bed after throwing him out because you didn’t love him anymore?
I don’t understand why after 20 years he’s admitted that he cheated on you and that is making you think twice about breaking up with them

Achtungbaby2 · 07/03/2021 09:14

Thanks everyone. Just confirms how much of an idiot i have been. I always knew deep down that i was a mug for staying. I was embarrassed writing it down, but it is just further confirmation its time to drop the dead weight. I am annoyed my self esteem was so crap. Really angry at wasting my time.
Thankfully i wont let another 20 years go by. He is gone. Done and dusted.

OP posts:
Achtungbaby2 · 07/03/2021 09:16

Really angry at myself for wasting time.

OP posts:
LivingDeadDoll · 07/03/2021 09:29

And how the hell can i ever trust him again?

But you've never trusted him. Its all through your post that you never trusted him.

You allowed yourself to be temporarily reassured periodically but you've never trusted him.

anamazingfind · 07/03/2021 09:56

What happened 20 years ago in a very early relationship wouldn't worry me as much as all the crap in the last 20 years.

Emma2021 · 07/03/2021 10:02

OP
Only you can make the final decision.
People will give their opinions but it looks as though your mind is made up.

Those saying it was a long time ago. A cheat is a cheat and the deception, when it lands at your feet, it hurts, the deception makes you feel sick/etc.

Whatever decision you make I hope it is the right one.
The only thing I'd say is to have a one to one with a parent, or a sibling as often they will give you the best advice even though you may disagree.

Emma2021 · 07/03/2021 10:03

@anamazingfind

What happened 20 years ago in a very early relationship wouldn't worry me as much as all the crap in the last 20 years.
Easy to say that when it has not happened to you, IMHO. No offence meant.
Littlepaws18 · 07/03/2021 10:04

I can't see how this is a revelation to you. You knew he did this before he moved in, yes he denied it but you had the evidence in front of you! You chose to ignore it and now their are children involved.

He has treated you appallingly throughout your marriage and you accepted this, you took him back then seemingly were completely surprised when he did it again!

You and he have brushed under the carpet the rubbish things of the past over and over. But he does accept this and wants to save your marriage. Maybe after everything rather than brushing it under the carpet go to counselling see if you can salvage this, make your marriage stronger and better or it may signal signs that it's time to move on.

Either way, it's time to act rather than pretend it didn't happen

Sakurami · 07/03/2021 10:08

Don't waste any more time or emotion thinking of what he did. Just be glad it is over and enjoy your freedom and life away from that idiot Smile

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