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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

Advice I am the other woman

377 replies

emilysof1 · 09/03/2021 09:50

Hi,
I am looking for some constructive advice.
I am in an awful situation that is ruining my life.
I have been in a relationship with a married man for several months. It started out as a one night stand and became quite intense quite quickly from there on in. He is in a long term relationship with young children. He is 10 years my senior.
I know what I am doing is wrong and believe me I feel terrible for it but I am in deeper than I ever thought I would be and I don't know what to do.
My man tells me he is leaving his partner. That they have drifted and that they no longer have a connection. But he never talks badly of her. Says that she doesn't love him and doesn't care about their relationship anymore. Cliche I know but he tells me that they have no sexual relationship and sleep in separate rooms etc. People may laugh but I do believe him. The thing is, months down the line and he has not left. He keeps promising after this occasion or that occasion but it never happens. This sounds really selfish but I have fallen in love with him and I hate the thought of him with his partner. I am jealous. He tells me he loves me and wants to be with me. We've spoken about the future. But I am becoming so frustrated with this situation and can not carry on. We speak every day. We see each other frequently but he still spends time with his family, goes on family holidays etc and I hate it. Will he ever follow through and leave? I am starting to wonder if this is worth it?

OP posts:
VodselForDinner · 09/03/2021 12:16

OP, I also hope you’ve doubled-up on contraception and are having regular STI checks. This man will be having unprotected sex with his partner/wife, and god knows how many other randomers.

Lochmorlich · 09/03/2021 12:19

He's playing you both op, but his wife has a contract and lot more leverage than you.
I believe you love your perception of him.
The reality is he's a two timing, cowardly shit who has sex with both of you and thinks he's a dog with two tails.

MrsBobDylan · 09/03/2021 12:21

This is what usually happens in these sort of pointless situations - ow can't leave because she loves him too much and cheating bloke has no intention of leaving his nice home set up because that would require effort and he is a lazy sod.

Situation resolves when wife finds out about ow and ends up being the one to leave. OW and cheating bloke don't stay together because he was never looking for a relationship with her.

MessAllOver · 09/03/2021 12:22

It's probably like @Greenmarmalade said. They've most likely drifted apart because he's bored with family life and does fuck all at home. So he's not exactly going to be Mr Popular with his wife.

Despite what some people here are saying, you're no worse than him though. It's his marriage...he's the one who should be respecting it. But do you really want this relationship, OP? He's proved he's happy to lie and cheat. Also that he can't hack one relationship when it comes under strain from young children. Why is it going to be any different with you? Why will he be loyal to you?

MaryIsA · 09/03/2021 12:23

This only works if you are really happy being the bit on the side. I've known a couple of women who are genuinely happy being the other woman. it's suited them and their lives. They don't want to live together, meet their partner's friends or family, spend Christmas together, birthdays or meet their partner's children.

You don't sound like that. Why would he leave his wife?

EpochTime · 09/03/2021 12:24

I always wonder how the conversation goes when the deadline for leaving the wife passes, again and again, and they're still at home. Do they have a manual of excuses: Christmas, Easter, wife's birthday, daughter's graduation, expensive pre-booked holiday, neighbours' BBQ, taking the dog to the vets, having a shit? That sort of thing?

Honeyroar · 09/03/2021 12:29

I think you know deep down that you’re a mug and he’s never going to leave. How many deadlines are going to pass until you admit that?? You’re not a kid, even if he’s older, you’re the mother of two children. You’ve had a relationship before. You really should know better, and I think you do. This is not love. He’s just feeding you lines. You won’t find someone good while you’re trotting around after someone rubbish.

HeronLanyon · 09/03/2021 12:29

Op - you are in a turmoil of emotional upheaval. Love, jealousy, guilt and impending fear that he really is unavailable.
You’ll struggle to see or feel anything clearly for yourself.
Read the above and act on it - it’s great advice. If I’m a year or whatever he has left his wife and comes looking for you and apologises well then that’s a while mother ballgame.
Get out now and start living your own life free of all the mess.

Graphista · 09/03/2021 12:39

Op all I'm gonna say is this (cos frankly the whole situation disgusts me!)

My exh had an affair, he told the ow all the bullshit your affair partner (which is not a real partner) is telling you. "We no longer have sex" "we're sleeping in separate rooms" "we no longer have a spark/connection" when the truth was:

We WERE sleeping together
We WERE having plenty of imaginative sex
We were considering adopting a second child (I couldn't have any more naturally due to medical issues, his idea to adopt)
We were house hunting

Also when it did blow up and I threw him out, he told her he'd told me everything and had left FOR HER - absolutely not true. He begged me to forgive him and let him stay

It quickly emerged also that she was pregnant his response to that was to cry on my shoulder that he wasn't remotely interested in having dc with her, that she was never meant to be anything more than a fling that I would never know about

They moved in together while she was pregnant and she wanted to marry before the baby was born which meant he needed to quickly divorce me

I divorced him, again he repeatedly told me he had no interest in us divorcing, he sat on the paperwork to delay the divorce but again told her that it was me holding things up. It wasn't, I wanted closure ASAP, this emerged as a result of her confronting me about my supposedly dragging my heels re his divorcing me. I'm a pack rat anyway, but certainly as the divorce was still going through I had all the paperwork, next time I saw her I had copied it all and handed it to her so she could see for herself that I was divorcing him
and he was the one dragging his heels

He would call and text me constantly, when he heard I had started dating again (incorrectly as it turned out) he went nuts jealous! Again begging me to give him another chance, he'd leave her (she had a newborn by this point) and only have dealings with her in relation to the child.

Divorce eventually goes through, more calls and texts

Their wedding is planned, she is pregnant with dc 2 which he tells me was also unplanned, certainly he didn't want another.

Night before THEIR wedding he propositions me.

Various points after whenever we were communicating to make arrangements for him to see dd he keeps trying to get in my pants and get me to take him back.

This only stopped when I stopped communicating with him at all (whole other thread re him being a deadbeat arse of a dad)

This is not me thinking I'm all that, ow is younger, slimmer than me and more passive too. So probably considerably easier to get along with. I am not an easy person to live with.

Since splitting from ex and through just general life experience I have met and talked with other women in my position and yours and learned my experience is very common, almost a script you might say.

They very rarely leave the wife unless the wife makes them, they very rarely truly move on from the wife and commit to the ow, even if they do that relationship rarely lasts.

In my case they are still together, but we have mutual friends still (she was supposedly a friend before the affair) and I have it on what I consider to be good authority that they're both miserable but for different reasons feel like they are unable to leave.

She is afraid he will treat their dc like he treated dd - which was pretty bloody awful

He is afraid he would be a lot worse off financially (he likes a nice lifestyle and his "toys") because they now have 5 dc and are married over 10 years and so she would likely get the bulk of the assets plus she'd make him pay cm properly - even though I was unable to but he apparently thinks she would be able to.

So they are trapped together.

He hasn't been faithful to her either, several affairs, inc friends of hers.

I'm not saying "once a cheat always a cheat" but if a person cheats once they generally find it easier to cheat again.

You aren't special op, you were just available. With a side order of appearing to be exciting/novel because you're not doing the things normal couples do together.

You're not doing chores, you're not arguing about money, you're not dealing with the in laws, you're not arguing about the kids...

It's a fantasy, an illusion. It's not real.

Grow up, dump him, get some therapy for whatever made you think this was remotely a good idea to get involved in and eventually date a decent, single man. And don't cheat on him (because your morals appear questionable too at this point, I don't buy the "he's the one who made vows" crap! You knew he wasn't available and that didn't stop you)

likeamillpond · 09/03/2021 12:40

As another OW (albeit a long time ago and something I'm deeply ashamed of

Let me assure you

he tells me that they have no sexual relationship and sleep in separate rooms et
Is cimplete bullshit.
I used to tell the man I was having an affair with that my husband and I no longer slept together.
Nothing coyld be further from the truth.
.if anything i slept with my husband regularly because I didn't want to raise his suspicions.
I also sensed it was the right thin g to tell the other man.
I thought I'd lose him if I told him the truth.
Have some self respect and end it.
Kettle pot black I know

Ruminating2020 · 09/03/2021 12:48

You need to break this off for your sake. He is not yours.

There are available men out there and if you continue with this it will mess you up badly so get out while you can. Go no contact and block him. It will be difficult to start with but make yourself unavailable to him and keep yourself busy so you're not pining for him.

Eviebeans · 09/03/2021 12:48

Find a "toy" of your own. He is taken. Don't leave it too late for you to make your own family.

LIZS · 09/03/2021 12:58

There will always be a reason not to leave now - another event, family illness, the children, finances ... Meanwhile he gets to shag two (if not more) women and cherry pick who he spends his time with. Has cake and eats more. Get an sti check and find your dignity by ending it. You are wasting time and emotion.

JorisBonson · 09/03/2021 13:07

I can't believe you're actually asking if you're the other woman.

While having an affair with a married man who has a family.

Facepalm.

Lara53 · 09/03/2021 13:08

He’s using you!

SoulofanAggron · 09/03/2021 13:13

I've been in this situation several times. It's miserable, as well as ethically wrong.

Think of his wife, and also how unhappy the situation is making you.

Finish it and tell him he can get back to you if he ever actually physically separates from her.

Also bear in mind that as he cheated on her, he could cheat on you. He's not a good bet for the future.

CallMeCleo · 09/03/2021 13:14

Here's the script that EVERY cheating husband feeds to his naive victim:

~ says he is leaving his partner.
~ they have drifted apart
~ they no longer have a connection
~ she doesn't love him
~ they have no sexual relationship
~ they sleep in separate rooms

I'm just sorry that you are so incredibly gullible and naive.

You've received massive amount of wisdom on this thread, from women who have experienced this scenario, been lied to like you have, or have had the heartbreak of seeing their friends taken for mugs by these cheaters. Take notice.

The ONLY way you should believe that the list above is true is if you speak directly to his wife, and get her to confirm. And I'd bet my bottom dollar that he won't allow you too.

By one who has "been there".

SoulofanAggron · 09/03/2021 13:14

You can't believe a word that comes out of his mouth. The 'sexless marriage' line is probably a lie, as you know.

SoupDragon · 09/03/2021 13:19

I can't believe you're actually asking if you're the other woman.

She isn't, she knows she is and says so. She simply doesn't care.

Pelagi · 09/03/2021 13:21

Here is a true story that might help you decide. It is, alas, quite similar to some other stories that have been written above. I’m writing it to show you what men like this actually do.

I found out that my exH was having an affair, threw him out. His story to affair partner was that I didn’t love him etc etc. He had been saying to this affair partner that he was just finding the right time to “have the conversation” with me etc, suggesting that the time to leave might be not now but after some specific future event. Etc etc. He never got to “have the conversation” with me because I found out and told him to leave.

Then later I learned that he had previously had another affair, years before. Likewise he had told earlier affair partner he was going to leave but in six months’ time, not yet etc etc. This went on for FIVE YEARS, she left her husband, exH did not leave. She eventually ditched him. I have heard indirectly that she felt this was the worst time of her life. But she is fine now.

Still later I learned that, even before that, he had another affair, story was my wife doesn’t love me, “if only we could be together” etc etc. Affair 1 was actually still ongoing when he started up affair 2.

So you seem to be in danger of being affair partner 2 in this scenario. Don’t waste any more months (hours) on him. I had years stolen from me by my exH and I didn’t have a choice because I didn’t have the knowledge. You do.

SoulofanAggron · 09/03/2021 13:21

It started out as a one night stand

@emilysof1 This suuggests that you're not special to him. If he can have an ONS with you he can have an ONS with other people too, and probably has in the past. And/or you were just there at the right time.

Rosieposy89 · 09/03/2021 13:25

You're not in a relationship with him. Do you do normal couple things like dates, go away together, meet family and friends? Probably not. This isn't a relationship. Its just sex.

DeeCeeCherry · 09/03/2021 13:29

Well he's not the only man in the world and you won't die for lack of him, will you? All this angst and stress. All your eggs in 1 basket for Mr Unavailable.

Why do it to yourself in this one life you have?

You want your happiness at the expense of his wife's unhappiness, and as you see you are paying a heavy price for your mindset.

You're lovelorn over someone else's husband. If you're so afraid to detach from him, go through the sadness and trust that eventually you will heal, then you have a rocky and unpleasant road ahead of you.

Loopyloututu2 · 09/03/2021 13:31

Oh god, this again (so many of these OW threads lately)
He’s not going to leave her becuase he doesn’t want to:
They probably still have hot sex
He probably still loves her
He probably has a very cosy, happy home life
He doesn’t want to leave his children
He doesn’t want it all to come out in the open and everyone he knows find out what a rat-bastard he is

It’s all such a massive cliche. He gets a bit of excitement from you OP, you’re a thrill to keep his life interesting and it’s a massive ego boost to him to have two women to shag. He’ll see how far he can go with you and then when (if) you give him an ultimatum or end things with him he’ll move on to someone else (how did you meet btw? Online dating by any chance?)

You really need to get some self respect and ditch the loser.
Oh, and also - tell his wife - she deserves to know what a cunt she’s married to.

Eckhart · 09/03/2021 13:33

as you see you are paying a heavy price for your mindset

I think this is the crux of it, really, @DeeCeeCherry

OP, you choose your own mindset. You are choosing one that's really hurting you. Choose a different one.

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