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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:
OfTheNight · 09/03/2021 14:50

You need to get rid.
He will either leave his wife and children and beg to be with you (which you will have to live with and deal with the consequences of), or, he’ll just forget about you because you are just convenient sex.
You need to sort your priorities, focus on your kids.
This is just a path of shit and unhappiness.

fiendfyre · 09/03/2021 14:53

He's not going to leave her. Tale as old as time. End it.

airsealengineer · 09/03/2021 14:55

Men who have affairs become accustomed to telling their wives what they need to hear to keep them where they want them, and their mistresses what they need to hear to keep them where they want them. He's probably fond of you. In the way one is fond of a holiday romance that you know will end.

He's proven over and over he won't leave. He's just keeping where he wants you as long as he can.

1forAll74 · 09/03/2021 14:56

He is very weak minded, and apparently just enjoying you being available for his missing needs, but needs that long time security of his home and children and holidays etc, despite there being big gaps with his partner at home.

If his proper partner knows about you, she will probably be in the driving seat about what to do about this man and all their situations. This is probably why he is dithering,or lying,about not coming clean to you. His life would become upsetting and messy for all his family if he left them all. so he has more to consider than you do.

RidingOn · 09/03/2021 14:57

OP, no it's really not worth it for you. Try to get on with your life and find someone else - brutal but honest advice, I'm afraid.

Unfortunately, even without you in their lives, this man's wife and children probably will suffer, because he can't be trusted. By anyone, including you.

Mittens030869 · 09/03/2021 14:58

He’s probably not going to leave her. If he does leave her for you (or if his wife chucks him out), you’ll never be able to trust him.

Eckhart · 09/03/2021 14:59

@1forAll74

What makes you think weak minded? Unprincipled, yes, but if he is unprincipled (and clearly he is), then he's found a way to get exactly the set up he wants, an exactly the people to help him do it.

Midge75 · 09/03/2021 14:59

Oh, for goodness sake, please just break it off. They do all say the same. My sister fell for it - twice! Same thing, only staying because of the kids, convenience, he would leave soon, honestly. All rubbish. Next thing she knows there are happy family pictures on Facebook. If he's absolutely serious about you, he'll leave once you've broken up with him as he'll see he can't live without you. But as long as he's married and with his family, you should be nowhere in the picture. Just break it off. For your sake. He is no good for you, however it feels right now.

rulerbirds · 09/03/2021 15:05

Tell his wife.
If I was her I would want to know. She deserves to know he’s mucking her around. Are you having unprotected sex with him?

MizMoonshine · 09/03/2021 15:12

Tell his wife.

Let her divorce him and take all his money.

Onthedunes · 09/03/2021 15:12

I'm going to go against the grain here...

Yes I think you are perfect for one another, he is willing to shag arround and you are willing to shag a married man with responsibilities and children. Perfect!

He probably isn't having sex at home, his relationship maybe has broken down, but I would suggest it is entirely his doing.
He sounds a catch.

If I was his wife I would want to know about you, I would trot off to the local health clinic and get a full sexual screen, I would then also make my informed choices about leaving the marriage.
Give her the choice, she may wish to start again, time is ticking.

If she wishes to stay with him, you have your answer, you were used, badly and should think twice about getting involved with married men in the future.

Tell her get the dirty secrets out, I'm sure she will thank you one day.

PS, Can you imagine this happening to you in the future when you have children, just imagine how horrible that would be.

My heart goes out to the wife and kids.

dontdisturbmenow · 09/03/2021 15:13

Says that she doesn't love him and doesn't care about their relationship anymore
Interesting that he said she doesn't love him rather than he doesn't love her. Says a lot.

OP, do you genuinely think that throwing everything away is easy, after only a few months together?

It sounds like he still loves her, so it might just take her having feelings again for him for him to ditch you in seconds. He will it leave if he believes she won't give him love any longer, not because he doesn't love her anymore and loves you more.

Then there are the kids

Then there are the finances. The house, the pension. That's a lot to give up for someone you've only been with for a few months.

You might be lucky, she might get rid of him and he'll come creaking to you but otherwise, don't count your eggs.

Butterfly44 · 09/03/2021 15:14

There is no way he is leaving. He's not going to leave his family. Yes the love is gone at home which is normal in many marriages and he's having his fun with you. But he won't be leaving let alone tell them about you. Sorry OP. You need to move on and find someone who isn't attached. Give an ultimatum, pretty sure he won't meet it. And there is your worth.

SionnachGlic · 09/03/2021 15:21

End it, he'll either re-evaluate & end his marriage if he does love you...or not.

My guess is that he won't...he'll be happy to get away cleanly from the affair & in time he'll move on to someone else. He may even want to end with you but is afraid you'll damage his marriage in revenge. These guys want to keep all the balls in the air (🙄)& everyone on side. But he won't leave his wife.

Bluntness100 · 09/03/2021 15:26

I’m sorry. He’s telling you what he thinks or knows you want to hear. If he wished to end his marriage he’d have done it by now. He’s just dragging it out and making excuses.

Threebecomesfour · 09/03/2021 15:33

I suspect you know what you need to do but don't want to do it.
Even if this man leaves his young family (unlikely), how would you ever trust him? Wouldn't you start second guessing him at every opportunity, every time you had a row? Every time you didn't have sex, would you be worried he was telling some other woman the exact same thing he's telling you?
I don't mean this to sound brutal but... He's not your man. He's someone else's. I think probably deep down you know he won't ever be.
My advice is break it off, block all contact, chin up and look to the future and try and find someone who has more integrity and respect for women.

Ori21 · 09/03/2021 15:44

Men in these situations don’t leave their wives for the affair partner. If his wife finds out guaranteed he’ll shit himself & beg her forgiveness. You need to get rid, walk away now. Otherwise you’re gonna end up hurt, more than you already are hurting. And so will his family. Lives will be shattered, don’t be that person

Fieldsofstars · 09/03/2021 15:49

If he loved you and wanted to be with you he would be with you.

He’s a coward and a disgrace. Move on and be thankful you’re not the one he has kids wirh.

LalalalalalaLand123 · 09/03/2021 15:50

OP please get your head out of the sand - wake up - he's lying to you! he's lying to his partner! he's a liar!
Get some dignity and end it now, block him on all platforms. It will hurt, deeply, sure - but after the pain you'll feel much better than being in this cesspit of lies.

AryaStarkWolf · 09/03/2021 15:56

Interesting that he said she doesn't love him rather than he doesn't love her. Says a lot.

My take on that is that he's still trying to look like a good guy, he's only cheating because his wife doesn't love him anymore(her fault not his) rather than him being the bad guy who doesn't love her

Graphista · 09/03/2021 15:57

do you wish you had been told by the ow the first time your ex strayed?

Yes. It would have saved months of heartache and uncertainty and him gaslighting me! (As did she!)

But I'm not surprised she didn't.

What's insulting is she continued to pretend to be my friend and even listened to my suspicions of his having an affair!

I was so embarrassed and felt so stupid when it all came out.

I suspect reason ow don't tell the wives is because they are pretty sure that'd piss their affair partner right off! Because they'd have forced him into a corner and - ironically - betrayed a trust. I think primarily they fear this would result in him dumping them which in most cases would be true

Also if he does leave her for you, be prepared not to be involved in his life properly for a while. You won't meet his family, friends, coworkers etc as he won't want people to know he's had an affair.

Yep! My ex HATED that due to her pregnancy everyone knew he'd cheated including his own family. That really pissed him off!

A friend of mine's ex went nuts at her for as he thought telling his employer that his new partner was the ow. It wasn't my friend that had told the employer it was another employee that the man had confided in but then when he was trying to get the ow a job at the same place, in a position the employee wanted and had applied for, the colleague had told the boss in hopes of blocking the ow chance of getting the job (as it turned out she wouldn't have got the job anyway as she didn't have the right qualification - which she and friends ex had also lied to boss about!) so karma bit em on the arse! Especially when the ex wife learned of everything that happened and literally laughed in her ex's face at his paranoia and lies! Dick!

My ex lost quite a few close friends, he barely has a relationship with his family now certainly his siblings just about tolerate him at major family events. Because of not only the affair, but because at first he denied it to them too. Inc claiming ow wasn't as far along in pregnancy as she clearly was and then later he tried to claim the baby was very prem despite being a healthy full term weight and mother and baby released the day after the birth.

He basically tried to treat people as if they were stupid!

His mother had 4 of her own ffs she knew about babies and childbirth!

@SpaceshiptoMars it's not just the step parenting either. Very likely truth would come out and ops own kids could be bullied for the actions of their mother and her affair partner. I'm not saying that's good or right, but it is what happens I've seen it happen. It's horrible!

Basically op the line he's feeding you is the ancient one "my wife doesn't understand me"

It's one women in certain jobs have been told for aeons!

My mum and gran (who often worked as barmaids for extra money on top of their full time jobs) used to laugh at these sort of men a lot and if these men tried it with them they'd respond along the line of "aye she does! She knows exactly what you're like! And so do I! Pack it in and behave yourself and go home"

If they caught them spinning this line to a gullible/vulnerable young woman they'd speak to the young woman when he was in the loo and advise them "he's aye at it! Don't listen to him he'll never leave his wife"

Some listened, some didn't. More fool the ones who didn't.

ktp100 · 09/03/2021 15:59

Are you really this desperate for a man?

Figgyboa · 09/03/2021 15:59

So, he's not 'your man'...
He's never going to leave his partner, he's got everything he needs, a loving partner and a bit on the side....you!

ktp100 · 09/03/2021 15:59

And I say 'man' loosely!

2bazookas · 09/03/2021 16:04

You've fallen for the oldest scam in the world. He's told you every tired old lie excuse and justification.

 You are the prime witness to how he mistreats his wife; the lies, deceptions,  pretence. Can't you see he's treating you exactly the same contemptible, cruelly selfish   way he treats her?   

Her life, is all you have to look forward to. Sooner or later he'll be shagging some other gullible sucker on the side.

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