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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

Cheating should I leave or stick it out for the kids

24 replies

user1490869844 · 26/08/2021 14:38

Hi 👋 not sure where to start so here goes, I got married to my first husband when we where both very young, had 2 children and thought we where happy, anyway it didn’t last long as I found he was cheating throughout the relationship. He broke my heart, my kids heart and left me high and dry. I swore to myself never to trust again and that I would never marry again. Fast forward about a year and half and I met my now husband told him about my past relationship and how much it messed me up and he swore he would never hurt me, in time I started to trust again he was great with my kids, there dad hasn’t bothered since we divorced, and we went on to have 2 more children. We married 8 years ago and everything was great. About 4 years ago I lost someone very close to me it was unexpected and came as a massive shock. I had grief counselling for around a year and luckily came out the other side. I enrolled back into education and everything was, I thought, great. Anyway 2 years ago on the anniversary of the death I was buying some bits for a little annual memorial that we hold and had arranged a night without the kids to have some fun with my husband and try and not dwell on things. As we where getting ready my husband left his phone on the bed and a messages pinged up I thought it maybe something to do with the children so checked his phone. However, it was another women and he was logged into a swinging app. I felt like I had been hit by a bus! As I scrolled through the messages there were loads of different women, full conversations with them all and very explicit pics being sent both ways, it made me sick he’d been at it for years, dating sites, swingers groups the lot! I obviously confronted my husband and made him leave for a while until I got my head around it. He had been working away a lot and not really kept in contact so obviously I was suspicious that he had been meeting these women, something which he denies.
The kids were distraught with him leaving and couldn’t understand why he wasn’t there as I obviously didn’t want to tell them why. I haven’t told anyone. He came back to the family home and we tried to work it out, promised he wouldn’t do it again blah blah blah anyway I believed him. About a year later I picked up his phone to google something as mine was getting fixed and he’s been looking at porn, a lot very young skinny women. And here I am a year later no trust left, very low self esteem feeling like shit things in the past that I had worked really hard on. Now he thinks things are fine but they’re not it’s still in my head and I can’t seem to move past it, I feel stuck and sad. I always thought I could trust him, he used to say if you cheated on the mother of your kids you was also cheating them! I just feel stupid and that I should of ended it at the time and now it’s too late. Don’t really know why I’m posting but it feels so good to get it off my chest as like I said I’ve never shared this with anyone as he’s made me look such a f&@£n idiot xx

OP posts:
Farwest · 26/08/2021 14:43

I am so sorry, OP. What an arse he is. Flowers

Yes, leave him. For you AND for the dc. Your happiness matters to your dc. Set an example of self respect and guarding your mental health. LTB.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 26/08/2021 14:44

If there is no trust, there is no relationship. Do not remain in such a relationship for the kids; its a terribly heavy burden to place upon them and a choice they won't say "thanks mum" to you for making.

AnxietyForever · 26/08/2021 14:44

Once the trust has gone, I doubt it'll ever return.

frozendaisy · 26/08/2021 14:48

I really don't understand why you have to keep it secret. Honestly if you want to work it out and move forward and make sure it never happens again him being berated by friends and family as well would help that surely.

You don't look stupid, he is the seedy one sending dic pics and jerking off with strangers not you.

I just don't get this "protection" I would tell at least your closest confident friend.

girlmom21 · 26/08/2021 14:50

I'd leave him. You've tried to forgive him and make it work but ultimately he's the one who hurt the family.

You deserve to be happy.

category12 · 26/08/2021 14:51

Your mental health and wellbeing is important to your children too.

user1490869844 · 26/08/2021 15:08

Thanks everyone, I feel stupid for still being with him and feel like too much time has past for it to be a reason to leave now ( if that makes sense) if I try to bring it with him he shuts down or goes mad that I keep bringing it up he says he’s trying to move forward but I’m keeping things in the past apparently Hmmbut I honestly still don’t trust him he knows the heartache my ex caused me and he still did it! I’ll go for a good few weeks where I don’t really think about it and try and work at our relationship but then I go back to square one and start have recurring dreams where he’s cheating on me then can’t get it out my head it’s driving me crazy and I wish more than anything we could go back to how things were in the beginning. I just feel like the whole marriage has been a sham. I think I probably am protecting him if I’m being honest but mainly I haven’t told anyone to protect myself from people feeling sorry for me or pitying me xx

OP posts:
user1490869844 · 26/08/2021 15:10

I don’t really have any close friends anymore that I can confide in as I can’t/ don’t feel like I can trust anyone x

OP posts:
user1490869844 · 26/08/2021 15:12

Sorry, also he doesn’t see it as cheating/being unfaithful because he swears it was all online and he didn’t meet up with anyone, how true that is tho I don’t know

OP posts:
QueenBee52 · 26/08/2021 15:16

@user1490869844

Sorry, also he doesn’t see it as cheating/being unfaithful because he swears it was all online and he didn’t meet up with anyone, how true that is tho I don’t know

Nah sorry that's just a poor excuse for being caught again...

Kick him out and live in the full knowledge that you already tried and He screwed up again..

None of this is on you 🌸

user1490869844 · 26/08/2021 15:22

Hi QueenBee52 sorry I don’t think I was very clear as I’ve rambled on a bit, he hasn’t done it recently that I know of, it’s just been playing on my mind a lot recently and I’d thought I’d post to get it off my chest as it’s been going round in my head a lot lately and the relationship isn’t going great at the minute because of this. It happened about 2 years ago I just can’t seem to get passed it xx

OP posts:
category12 · 26/08/2021 15:23

@user1490869844

I don’t really have any close friends anymore that I can confide in as I can’t/ don’t feel like I can trust anyone x
That's awful.

I was much the same and felt very isolated and like I couldn't tell anyone. And that plays into his hands because you can't be honest with anyone, and you don't feel you can trust anyone, and you end up being reliant on the very person who hurt and continues to hurt you.

It really helps to shine a light on it by speaking to someone. If there's absolutely no-one you think you can talk to, if you can afford it or if your work has a employee assistance scheme, speak to a counsellor on your own.

You're so unhappy, you don't need a new reason to break up with him. It's not your failure here, you have tried.

But this guy has done this throughout your relationship, and then despite having split and got back together, did it again. You can't trust him.

Once I made the jump it was like a weight lifted. Living with someone you cannot trust is constant pain and anxiety.

QueenBee52 · 26/08/2021 15:26

@user1490869844

Hi QueenBee52 sorry I don’t think I was very clear as I’ve rambled on a bit, he hasn’t done it recently that I know of, it’s just been playing on my mind a lot recently and I’d thought I’d post to get it off my chest as it’s been going round in my head a lot lately and the relationship isn’t going great at the minute because of this. It happened about 2 years ago I just can’t seem to get passed it xx

Aahhh ok ... sorry

I think if you are still traumatised by his behaviour.. then yes I would call it a day.. your mental wellbeing is damaged and may not ever recover staying with him.. 🌸

billy1966 · 26/08/2021 15:32

He sounds awful.

His shutting you down is so awful.

Your relationship is over.

Can you afford to end your marriage because if you can? Get rid of him.

If you can't right away?
Start planning and organising to end things.

Do not settle for this sleeze.

Flowers
user1490869844 · 26/08/2021 15:59

Thank you category12 I’m glad you feel much better after making the jump and I’m so sorry you went through a similar thing, it’s awful.
I’ve recently contacted the mental health team at my university so hopefully will get to talk it through with a counsellor soon.
I’m not working at the minute but start my new job very soon, I rely on husbands wages and UC I have no savings or anything but the house is in my name as we’ve recently moved and I’m the lead tenant. If I try and bring up how I’m feeling he gets mad, our relationship is s&@t at the minute because it’s playing on my mind so much I have no desire to be intimate with him and this also makes him mad with me, it’s just such a mess xx

OP posts:
category12 · 26/08/2021 16:04

It sounds like it might be a good time to make the break. Congratulations on your new job!

bigbaggyeyes · 26/08/2021 16:08

It took me 3 years to leave my husband after he cheated on me. I simply couldn't get past it. I have no regrets about leaving as it was the best for me

user1490869844 · 26/08/2021 16:31

@bigbaggyeyes I’m sorry you went through similar Flowers it’s really crap isn’t it 🙁 I just can’t seem to get past it, they say times a healer but in my case it isn’t I still feel as gutted as I did the day I found out. I’ll been fine for a while and then it seems to hit me again and I can’t get it out of my head xx

OP posts:
user1490869844 · 26/08/2021 16:31

Thank you @category12 xx

OP posts:
category12 · 26/08/2021 16:41

[quote user1490869844]@bigbaggyeyes I’m sorry you went through similar Flowers it’s really crap isn’t it 🙁 I just can’t seem to get past it, they say times a healer but in my case it isn’t I still feel as gutted as I did the day I found out. I’ll been fine for a while and then it seems to hit me again and I can’t get it out of my head xx[/quote]
Time can't heal because you don't feel like you have the full truth, your dh invalidates your feelings, minimises what he did and gaslights you, he gets angry with you to shut you up - and he has never taken responsibility or accepted what he did was wrong. Plus he done this repeatedly so what were the foundations of your relationship feel like a lie.

It's still an open wound. Of course you can't progress or "get over it".

billy1966 · 26/08/2021 16:50

Congratulations on the new job.

So many positives.

Will you be able to manage without him financially?
Because if you can? Get his ass out.

The cheek of him being angry at you for not accepting his behaviour.

IMO he is abusive.

Refuses to take responsibility.
Shuts you down.
Gets angry because you can't accept his appalling behaviour.

Ditch him and share his awful behaviour.

This is on him.Flowers

bigbaggyeyes · 26/08/2021 16:56

user1490869844
@bigbaggyeyes* I’m sorry you went through similar it’s really crap isn’t it 🙁 I just can’t seem to get past it, they say times a healer but in my case it isn’t I still feel as gutted as I did the day I found out. I’ll been fine for a while and then it seems to hit me again and I can’t get it out of my head xx
Time can't heal because you don't feel like you have the full truth, your dh invalidates your feelings, minimises what he did and gaslights you, he gets angry with you to shut you up - and he has never taken responsibility or accepted what he did was wrong. Plus he done this repeatedly so what were the foundations of your relationship feel like a lie.

It's still an open wound. Of course you can't progress or "get over it".*

This in a nutshell

Marmelace · 26/08/2021 17:00

Your children need a mother who is happy and feels strong, they don't need the realisation in years to come that you stayed with someone who treated you so badly for their sakes. They will carve out their own relationship with their father eventually.

TheFoundations · 26/08/2021 17:25

If I try and bring up how I’m feeling he gets mad, our relationship is s&t at the minute because it’s playing on my mind so much I have no desire to be intimate with him and this also makes him mad with me

So he's basically angrily saying that he's got no interest in your wellbeing, but that he's pissed off that you won't have sex with him.

Ask yourself what you would want your kids to do if the were in this situation, when they're adults. Then model that behaviour for them. Demonstrate to them what you think they should know. Whatever you do will be an example to them of what an adult relationship should look like. They will replicate the example you set, throughout their adult lives.

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