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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

He's so angry

76 replies

ChiChi16 · 04/08/2021 14:44

DH has been staying in a local hotel for the past 7 weeks. He was asked to move out because he had an emotional affair from Nov - May with a work colleague who is based abroad. DH fell head over heals in love with her almost immediately and they tried to end their EA a few times but he couldn't let her go. I think the EA ended mid April when I saw messages on his phone to her and I confronted him and called her about it. She went over the top and kept crying that she was going to kill herself because she had had enough (I dont know why she was so upset as when they were caught out before she would tell me to give him another chance). After this, DH was asked to move out and he did for 6 weeks, when he came back we agreed we would give the marriage another go but on the day he came back he asked to sleep in the spare room which caused another big fight between us. Since then he had been cold and hardly spoke to me (he carried on sleeping in the spare room). Every time i tried to speak to him he would tell me that he didn't think the marriage would work and that he was happy to live by himself in the spare room, we tried this for a few weeks but it was too much for me and after having a panic attack which his family were called (they live a few doors down) and his mum was told about his affair and I repeatedly asked him to leave (i was very upset). He was not happy but left, since then, I have tried to speak to him and he does not really give me any time and he seems to be getting more and more angry when i call, He wants to come home and we live separately in the same house but we remain civil for our DD17. I have said this will not work for me and he now says i am preventing him from being there for our DD who is very angry and upset with him.
I am finding it really hard to move on, I still love him and wish he would try and talk to me in a calm way. He does not call or text me but does try and remain in touch with DD who occasionally will pick up his call. He blames me for every argument that we have had in the past and has repeatedly told me the marriage no longer works for him but he still wants to move back.
How do i move on from this? Where is the anger coming from? He had the EA and yet he is so angry at me, only this morning when I called him at 7am he was shouting and so very angry.
The OW is 25 and he is 54 - i think he is still in love with her although they are no longer talking to each other. Is he blaming me for ending it? They both know it was never going to amount to anything because of the age difference and living in different countries - And they have never met!
I think of him all the time, we have been married for 23 years and been together for 30 years. If i give him time, will he come to his senses? 23 years is a long marriage to throw away but I can't seem to get him to talk to me. We used to talk everyday but now the longest we've not spoken is 6 days and that ended with me calling him.
What do I do? I really dont want to give up but he seems to have dumped me without a care.

OP posts:
MrsMaizel · 04/08/2021 14:54

Why were you calling him at 7 am ? Why do you want to stay with a man who treats you like this ?

Shoxfordian · 04/08/2021 14:56

Start the divorce process
He’s cheated on you and he doesn’t seem to be making any effort at all to make it work now either

StormTreader · 04/08/2021 14:56

Your daughter is 17, way too old for you to have to put up with his crap "for the sake of the child", shes an adult.

He's angry because he had a nice cushy life and now hes losing the nice house and the maid service because his lies have been exposed.
If he's got any self awareness at all, he'll also be embarrassed at chasing after a woman half his age.

ChiChi16 · 04/08/2021 14:59

@MrsMaizel - He starts work at 7am and he's working from the hotel room, so i knew he would be awake. I wanted to ask him how he was feeling, I hadn't slept all night and just wanted to talk to him.

OP posts:
ChiChi16 · 04/08/2021 15:01

@Shoxfordian - Should i not try and save the marriage? 23 years is a long time and we've been together almost 30 years.

OP posts:
ChiChi16 · 04/08/2021 15:02

@StormTreader - I want to save the marriage, DD will be going to Uni next year and she is old enough to make her own choice whether to speak to him or not. I try to move on but I can't get used to our new normal - with him not being here

OP posts:
ravenmum · 04/08/2021 15:03

Where is the anger coming from?
Typically, when someone has an affair, they have to justify it to themselves so that they can maintain their own image of themself as a good person even though they have done something horrible.
The simplest way to do this is to blame their affair on the person they are deceiving. Deciding that their partner is horrible kills two birds with one stone: it gives them a good reason for their affair, and explains why it is OK to treat the partner badly, as they deserve it. This new story is built up partly subconsciously, and partly because they have to tell some sort of story to their OW or OM - and come to believe the story themselves.
Another element is just that you are the obstacle standing between him and a 25-year-old.
Plus, you are angry. And the best means of defence is attack. It muddies the waters and puts you on the wrong foot, so that in the end you start apologising and begging to him.

Shoxfordian · 04/08/2021 15:03

Yeah 23 years is a long time but he’s cheated with another woman, he shouts at you, he has made no effort to make you happy or redeem himself

I don’t think there’s anything to save

ravenmum · 04/08/2021 15:05

Should i not try and save the marriage?
You can't do it on your own. He has to want to do it, too.
Get some outside help for yourself - a professional to talk to - and see if he would be willing to do couples therapy as well. But make sure you get help processing what's going on, without him.

atlastifoundit · 04/08/2021 15:05

How do I move on from this?

You tell him to eff off, that's what you do. There's one person and one person only at fault here, and one person to blame, and it isn't you. To hell with him being angry with you. Bastard.

Aquamarine1029 · 04/08/2021 15:06

Sunk cost fallacy. Why on earth would you want to waste one more minute with this cheating, gaslighting, abusive arsehole? He is punishing you for messing up his perfect life of having a woman on the side and a wife at home. Raise your standards and set a good example for your daughter.

ChiChi16 · 04/08/2021 15:08

@ravenmum - Yes you are right, he is blaming me and I seem to be the one apologising and trying to put things right - but he wont hear me.
Does the anger go? He seems to be getting worse as the days roll by.

OP posts:
StormTreader · 04/08/2021 15:08

"He wants to come home and we live separately in the same house but we remain civil for our DD17"
"he seems to have dumped me without a care."

You might want to save this, but it doesnt look like he does.

Umberellatheweatha · 04/08/2021 15:08

Why would you want to stay married to a dickhead?

I think you should read up on 'sunken cost fallacy'.
Dont waste the rest of your life with some asshole. As for your daughter, you actually only have a short time left to show her that strong women do not stay with assholes that treat them like shit. That's the lesson she should learn from you.

atlastifoundit · 04/08/2021 15:10

The anger will only go when he stops blaming you and starts realising that it's his actions and his own idiotic fault he's in this ruinous mess.

You're the one who is entitled to be angry, not him.

OrchestraOfWankery · 04/08/2021 15:11

[quote ChiChi16]@MrsMaizel - He starts work at 7am and he's working from the hotel room, so i knew he would be awake. I wanted to ask him how he was feeling, I hadn't slept all night and just wanted to talk to him.[/quote]
Why? He obviously doesn't care about how you feel! he just wants his cushy home life back as StormTreader says.

All you'll get now is a lodger if he comes back. He's checked out of the marriage.

ravenmum · 04/08/2021 15:14

@atlastifoundit

The anger will only go when he stops blaming you and starts realising that it's his actions and his own idiotic fault he's in this ruinous mess.

You're the one who is entitled to be angry, not him.

Exactly, and this sounds unlikely at the moment.

I ended it with my ex and the anger did get better over time.
I wasn't interested in getting back together, but in a parallel universe I can imagine that if we had wanted to get back together a couple of years later it might have worked. But only because we had been apart and gained enough distance to calm down. I don't think my exh would have regretted his actions.

Taliskerskye · 04/08/2021 15:15

You need to do what’s best for you. Stop calling him. It’s his choice to move out, if you don’t want a half life that’s fair enough.

But he doesn’t want to save this marriage and both of you have to come to terms with this.

Get some talking therapy ASAP.

Umberellatheweatha · 04/08/2021 15:15

Why are you asking about his anger? He has no right to be angry. You should be asking yourself why you aren't angry? And why his 'anger' (at being caught out) trumps yours. He is manipulating you with this anger into putting his needs first over yours. Thats all it is, a bullshit manipulation from a cold hearted cheating asshole.

You're asking the wrong questions?
Get off the merry go round of pandering to his needs and consider your own. Because your needs matter. Your feelings matter. You have every right to be mad. Dont let him make out you are the bad guy for calling him out on his shit. Call him out, then click him out.

LemonTT · 04/08/2021 15:16

The marriage is over and will never work for either of you on any of the terms described.

You are clinging on to a cheating husband who has checked out. He is clinging on to a comfortable home.

Just divorce and get on with your lives.

Umberellatheweatha · 04/08/2021 15:17

*kick him out.

Dntevenknowit · 04/08/2021 15:17

My advice would be give him space. See if he misses you. Tell yourself ‘im not going to contact him until….’ (4/5 days later) then plan to fill your time in between. You may then get to that time and think no I wont bother.

If its going to try to he repaired - he needs to miss you and you need to show him you are not needy. You are the strong, confident person that I’d imagine he fell for.

The anger does go away but he and you need time to process rather than a cycle of anxiety and toxicity in my opinion.

Smartiepants79 · 04/08/2021 15:19

Of course you’re struggling to move on it only been a couple of months. It’s going to take some time to find a new normal.
Also you are currently still very mixed up in his life.
This does not sound fixable to me or worth anymore of your energy. I’m a big believer in marriage and not giving up too easily but this incident has shown up the man you married as not a good or a reliable life partner.
He appears to no longer either love or respect you.(I’m sorry Sad)
He’s been weak and is now being deeply unreasonable and unpleasant.
I think you need to minimise contact, stop phoning him, stop apologising and find your own anger. You need to be calm but ruthless.
Start thinking harder about how your life without him can be so much better!!

ZestyMaximus · 04/08/2021 15:20

You're right, 23 years is a very long time. Please don't waste a 24th year of your life like this.

HardStaringBearFromDarkestPeru · 04/08/2021 15:20

I know you've been together a very long time but please just think about this.
He's in love with a woman who was 7-8 years old when your daughter was born. Age-wise they could've been in primary school at the same time.
He has no respect for you or your daughter.